Ekong slams CAF decision to award Morocco AFCON trophy

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has added his voice to the growing wave of outrage over CAF’s decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and hand it to Morocco, saying he initially thought the news was a joke and would feel ashamed to celebrate a title won in such circumstances, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 2023 AFCON Most Valuable Player, who captained Nigeria to the final of that tournament before losing 2-1 to hosts Ivory Coast, told The Athletic that the ruling had left him deeply saddened and that no player across the continent should be comfortable with results being overturned after the fact.

“When I first heard the news that the result of this year’s AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco had been overturned, I thought it was a joke. When I realised it was actually real, after reading the official statement from the Confederation of African Football, it just made me feel quite sad,” he said.

Troost-Ekong was unequivocal that trophies must be decided on the pitch, drawing on his own experience of losing a final to drive home the point.

“Every African player wants to win this tournament, but would I celebrate now if I was in Morocco’s shoes? Absolutely not. I would feel ashamed to win like this. It wouldn’t feel right. You have to earn it on the pitch. I don’t think I would be able to accept it, but if you publicly decline a medal or trophy, then that also becomes a circus. It definitely can’t be celebrated,” he said.

“I captained Nigeria in the AFCON final two years ago, which we lost 2-1 to the hosts, Ivory Coast. I would never go back and change the outcome of a final I was in and lost. I wouldn’t want to change it,” he added.

The defender also expressed sympathy for the Senegalese players, acknowledging the emotional weight of having a result taken from them after the celebrations had already happened.

“I would be so upset to play in a tournament and for the result to be changed afterwards. Senegal will always claim they are the winners, and I would do the exact same thing, but other people will now question that. I can’t imagine how those players are feeling,” he said.

CAF’s Appeals Board ruled on March 17 that Senegal had breached Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations by walking off the pitch in protest during the final on January 18, declaring the result a 3-0 forfeit in favour of Morocco.

The decision overturned Senegal’s 1-0 extra-time victory and came nearly two months after the match. Senegal’s Football Federation has confirmed it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, a process that could take up to a year.