The controversy surrounding the CAN 2025 final continues to simmer, almost three months after the initial event. On January 18 in Rabat, Senegal had secured a 1-0 victory against Morocco following extra time on the pitch. However, on March 17, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) controversially reversed this outcome, awarding Morocco a 3-0 win by default.
CAF’s appeal jury justified this decision by citing articles 82 and 84 of their regulations, which stipulate that a team abandoning the field or refusing to resume play is automatically declared to have forfeited the match. This interpretation has been vigorously challenged by the Senegalese Football Federation, which has since taken the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) in an effort to overturn the ruling.
While awaiting the TAS’s definitive judgment, Edouard Mendy has broken his silence to champion the stance of the Lions of Teranga. During an appearance on the Saudi podcast Mo Show Prod, the Al-Hilal goalkeeper presented his account of events, directly refuting claims from the Moroccan side regarding a collective abandonment of the match.
Mendy, who emerged as a hero in the final for brilliantly saving Brahim Diaz’s penalty, underscored a critical detail. He stated, « People claimed we all left the pitch during the final, but that’s incorrect. There were still players on the field. It’s very important to highlight this. »
Edouard Mendy defends Senegal’s position
Furthermore, Mendy referenced the official report from referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to bolster his argument, explaining: « And that’s why the referee didn’t blow the final whistle. He noted in his report that the match was paused temporarily, but not that the team abandoned it, because players remained on the pitch. »
The former Chelsea goalkeeper asserted that the game did indeed resume, which, in his view, invalidates any claim of a forfeit: « The match stopped for a moment and then restarted, so from that point, there’s no need to discuss what happened because the game continued until the end. If the entire team had been absent, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today. But that wasn’t the situation. »
However, Mendy’s account doesn’t entirely resolve all ambiguities. According to Afrik Foot, the official report, corroborated by visual evidence, suggests that almost the entire team, with the notable exception of Sadio Mané, had indeed left the field for several minutes. This reportedly included Edouard Mendy himself, who was observed among the first to head back to the changing rooms. The conflict of narratives persists as the football world eagerly awaits the ultimate verdict from the TAS.
