Ghanaian Journalist Sestofe: "Senegal Should Be Last in Africa Cup, Referee's Omission of Withdrawal Incident Doesn't Invalidate Appeals Committee Decisions"

Ghanaian journalist Philip Sestofe asserted, during his analysis of the decisions made by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Committee, that the committee did not fully apply the regulations against the Senegalese national team, despite deeming them to have withdrawn and forfeited their Africa Cup of Nations final match against Morocco (3-0).

In his analysis of the competition's regulations, the Ghanaian journalist indicated that CAF had been too lenient with the Senegalese team. He argued that Senegal's results in "CAN 2025" should have been annulled due to their withdrawal from the final. Consequently, he stated that Senegal should not be entitled to second place behind Morocco, but rather should be placed last (24th) with no points. He added that Nigeria and Egypt could potentially secure second and third places, respectively, should they also appeal against the initial decisions of the Disciplinary Committee.

The same speaker clarified that Article 11 of the regulations confirms that CAF committees (the Disciplinary Committee and then the Appeals Committee) have the right to impose additional sanctions, including a ban from participating in one or two upcoming editions of the Africa Cup of Nations. He emphasized that violations of the rules, such as withdrawal, cannot be ignored without issuing a penalty, even if the referee did not mention the incident in his match report.

Sestofe concluded his analysis by explaining Senegal's delay in appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), stating that there is "no legal way out" for them to retain the title and overturn the Appeals Committee's decisions. He further suggested that the crisis could escalate with the imposition of additional sanctions against Sadio Mané's teammates due to the "withdrawal" incident.