Regragui Defends Morocco’s AFCON Final: ‘We Deserved to Be Crowned’

Casablanca – Former Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has addressed the controversy surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Morocco and Senegal, defending his former team’s title campaign and acknowledging mistakes in how the situation was communicated.

Speaking on the Maghareb Atheer podcast, Regragui publicly discussed the disputed final for the first time, with the controversy still awaiting a final resolution from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Regragui defends Morocco’s penalty

The former Atlas Lions coach rejected suggestions that Morocco benefited from refereeing decisions during the tournament, particularly in the final against Senegal.

“How can anyone who holds the African title say that Morocco benefited from refereeing? It was a valid penalty kick, and Morocco was progressing naturally in the competition,” Regragui said.

He acknowledged, however, that the controversy surrounding the match had consequences for Morocco’s image and placed additional pressure on the national team.

“What happened created a negative image of Morocco and put immense pressure on the national team, because we wanted to be crowned in a proper and fair manner,” he added.

Regragui also admitted that Morocco could have handled the communication surrounding the controversy more effectively.

“We made mistakes in communication. We should have done more to protect the national team and its image, and defended the competition and Moroccan football the proper way,” he said.

‘We deserved to be crowned’

Beyond the final itself, Regragui defended Morocco’s overall performance throughout the tournament, pointing to the quality of the opponents the Atlas Lions faced on their route to the title.

“We fought a very strong competition, and the players were at a high level. I believe we were among the best teams of the tournament, perhaps the best, especially considering the matches we played against Cameroon, Nigeria, and Mali,” he said.

Morocco’s former coach also commended the mentality shown by the squad and the support it received from Moroccan fans throughout the competition.

“We gave everything we had to win the title, whether in terms of spirit or mentality, and we succeeded in gaining the support of the fans. For me, we deserved to be crowned champions, and we will wait for what the Court of Arbitration for Sport will say regarding the final,” Regragui said.

CAS to decide Morocco-Senegal dispute

The controversy remains the subject of an ongoing legal dispute between the Senegalese Football Federation, CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).

CAS has confirmed that a hearing will take place on October 8 at its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, after Senegal appealed CAF’s decision concerning the final.

CAF previously ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match after the team left the field during extra time following the penalty awarded to Morocco. 

The decision resulted in Morocco being recorded as 3-0 winners and crowned African champions.

Senegal is challenging that ruling and has asked CAS to recognize its national team as the 2025 AFCON champion instead.

CAS has stressed that no verdict will be delivered on the day of the hearing. The arbitration panel will deliberate after the proceedings before issuing its final decision.

Until then, the outcome of the disputed final remains subject to the court’s rulin