Maxwell Kumoye
AFCON 2025 should have been remembered as Morocco’s crowning moment as hosts and a festival of football wrapped in colour, noise and continental pride.
Instead, the tournament will be recalled for a far darker reason, a final that collapsed into chaos, consumed by mistrust, controversy and a refereeing performance that left African football bruised and embarrassed.
From the opening rounds, a cloud of suspicion hovered over the competition.
Whispers became accusations, and accusations hardened into open revolt as teams, coaches and fans grew convinced that match officials were tilting the scales in favour of the host nation.
By the time Sunday’s final in Rabat reached its boiling point, the atmosphere was no longer just tense it was toxic.
The defining image of AFCON 2025 is not a winning goal or a trophy lift. It is Senegalese players walking off the pitch in disbelief and fury, refusing to play on after a late penalty was awarded to Morocco, just moments after a Senegal goal had been disallowed.
In that instant, the final stopped being a football match and became a referendum on officiating standards in African football.
At the centre of the storm stood Congolese referee Jean Jacques Ndala, overwhelmed by a match that demanded authority, clarity and composure and received none.
His disallowed goal for Senegal, judged to have involved a foul on Achraf Hakimi, came seconds too early for VAR to properly intervene.
Former international referee Bruno Derrien would later describe the contact as “very light,” arguing that allowing play to continue would likely have seen the goal validated.
Instead, the whistle came early. And moments later, so did the spark that ignited the final’s implosion.
When El Hadji Malick Diouf tugged Brahim Diaz at a corner, Ndala pointed to the spot after consulting VAR. In isolation, the decision might have been defensible.
In context after weeks of disputed calls and simmering resentment it was incendiary. Derrien called it a “micro-foul” committed at a moment of “enormous tension.”
For Senegal, it was the final proof that they were no longer fighting just Morocco, but the referee too.
Players surrounded Ndala. Whistles rained down from the stands. Senegalese players left the pitch in protest, delaying the match for nearly 20 minutes and plunging the final into farce.
The laws of the game were clear, delaying a restart or leaving the pitch without permission warrants a yellow card.
Enforced strictly, several Senegal players could and perhaps should have been sent off.
Ndala did nothing, further reinforcing the sense of a referee who had lost control of both the match and the moment.
This collapse did not come out of nowhere.
Morocco’s path to the final had been lined with controversy. Cameroon fumed after a clear penalty on Bryan Mbeumo was waved away in the quarter-finals.
Before Cameroon’s complaint, Comoros Islands cried, Mali shouted and Tanzania felt cheated against the host.
Nigeria was incensed in the semi-final, with midfielder Bright Osayi-Samuel branding the referee “dreadful” after what he called a series of “really bad decisions.”
Each incident added another crack to the tournament’s credibility.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui insisted his team were victims of perception, not privilege. “We are the team to beat,” he said. “People will try to find every possible reason to say that Morocco is favoured.”
Yet even he admitted the environment had become “unhealthy,” with oppressive pressure surrounding every game his side played.
When the final whistle was eventually blown after extra time, AFCON 2025 had lost far more than its innocence.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned the behaviour of some supporters and Senegalese officials, calling on CAF to take “appropriate measures.”
But his words rang hollow to many who felt the root of the crisis lay elsewhere, in inconsistent refereeing, timid authority, and a system that allowed suspicion to flourish unchecked.
It’s noteworthy to mention that AFCON 2025 had world-class stadiums, passionate fans and moments of genuine brilliance. But football tournaments are remembered not just for how they are organised, but for how they are decided.
In Rabat, the title was settled amid confusion and conflict, leaving Africa’s flagship competition tarnished by the one thing that should never decide a champion – the referee.
