African football doesn't do quiet. Senegal being stripped of the 2025 AFCON title — a 1-0 extra-time win converted into a 3-0 default defeat because the Teranga Lions walked off the pitch — is extraordinary, but it didn't come out of nowhere. CAF has been producing moments like this for decades.
The Lions have vowed to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Given CAS timelines, the definitive champion of this tournament might not be confirmed until early 2027. Morocco is currently holding the trophy. Whether they're entitled to it is another question entirely.
When the chaos turned deadly
The most sobering entry on this list is the 2010 Togo ambush. The team bus was attacked in Cabinda, northern Angola, killing three people — the assistant coach, the team spokesman, and the Angolan bus driver. The players wanted to compete in their memory. Instead, they were ordered home by Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbo. CAF's response was to ban Togo for the next two editions, ruling the withdrawal was politically motivated. A squad that had just survived a terrorist attack was punished for leaving.
Eleven years later, the 2021 tournament — staged in Cameroon in early 2022 — produced another tragedy. A crush at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé killed at least eight people and injured 38 during a last-16 match between Cameroon and Comoros. The 60,000-capacity ground became a deathtrap when thousands surged at the gate. Witnesses pointed directly at security failures. No one in charge of a 60,000-seat venue during a knockout fixture should be surprised that people rush the gates.
The incidents that defined each tournament
Some controversies were farcical rather than fatal, but no less damaging to the competition's credibility.
- Equatorial Guinea 2015 — the helicopter semifinal: Ghana scored three times against the hosts. Each goal triggered a fresh wave of bottles from the stands. Riot police were deployed. A police helicopter circled the stadium. Fans were eventually evacuated for their own safety. Equatorial Guinea reached a World Cup semifinal of chaos and somehow weren't even punished severely for it.
- CAF Champions League 2019 — CAS overrules CAF on its own final: Wydad Casablanca walked off after a goal was disallowed and VAR wasn't working. CAF awarded the trophy to Esperance de Tunis, then reversed the decision to order a replay. Neither club agreed. CAS stepped in and confirmed Esperance as champions. The governing body of African football couldn't even run its own showpiece final without external intervention.
- AFCON 2021 — the referee who blew too early, twice: The official in charge of Mali vs Tunisia whistled for full-time when Mali led 1-0 — then did it again minutes later, still with time remaining. Tunisia refused to return for the restart, citing the fact that their players were already in ice baths. Mali were awarded the win. Somewhere, a coach is still explaining to his players why they needed to stay in their kit.
- Host nation chaos — an unbroken streak since 2013: Every AFCON since 2013 has been moved from its original host. Libya, Morocco, Cameroon, Guinea — all stripped of the tournament at various points for war, infrastructure failures, or security concerns. Morocco stepped in to replace Guinea for the 2025 edition, having previously been replaced themselves for the 2015 tournament by Equatorial Guinea. The irony of that particular swap is considerable.
As for January's final in Rabat — Senegal had a goal disallowed in stoppage time, Morocco were awarded a penalty, scuffles broke out, fans tried to storm the pitch, and coach Pape Thiaw led his squad off the field. They came back. Brahim Diaz had his Panenka saved by Edouard Mendy. Pape Gueye scored in extra time. Senegal celebrated. Then, two months later, CAF handed the trophy to Morocco anyway.
The case goes to CAS. The result is officially in dispute. And African football's governing body has, once again, ensured that the story extends well beyond the final whistle.
