I've covered championship games on five continents, folks, and I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like what happened at the 2025 AFCON final.
Fan clashes. VAR controversies. A disputed penalty. And now, legal threats from Morocco's football federation.
Let me paint you the picture: Senegal and Morocco were locked in a battle for African soccer supremacy when things went completely off the rails. A penalty was awarded to Senegal - a call that experts later confirmed was correct - but Morocco wasn't having it.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation is now taking legal action with both CAF and FIFA, claiming that Senegal's reaction to the penalty call "disrupted the normal flow of the match and impacted player performance."
Translation: they think Senegal gamed the system by creating chaos.
But here's the thing - even FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the chaos "unacceptable," which tells you this wasn't just your standard championship drama. This was a breakdown of order that embarrassed African soccer on its biggest stage.
One observer called it "the worst penalty I've seen in my life," though whether they meant the call or the execution, I honestly can't tell you. What I can tell you is that Senegal emerged as champions amid scenes that looked more like a political protest than a soccer match.
Fan clashes in the stands. Players arguing with officials. And ultimately, a final that ESPN described as "an embarrassment to soccer."
Morocco insists the matter needs to be "addressed through official channels to protect the integrity of African football." They're right about one thing - the integrity of the tournament took a massive hit.
But Senegal hoisted the trophy. And in sports, that's what counts in the record books, no matter how messy the path to get there.
AFCON deserves better than this. African soccer deserves better than this. These are world-class players competing at the highest level, and they should be celebrated for their skill - not overshadowed by administrative chaos and legal disputes.
Senegal are champions. Morocco are filing lawsuits. And the beautiful game? Well, it wasn't so beautiful in this final.
That's what sports is all about, folks - even when it shows us the worst of the game.
