U17 CAN: Senegal’s title caught up by a new alleged complaint from Morocco

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) is said to have lodged a complaint with the African Football Confederation (CAF) following the U17 AFCON semi-final held on May 28, 2026, in Rabat, according to information from the Senegalese media Senenews relayed by several specialized sites. The resulting disciplinary procedure would have led to a videoconference hearing of two leaders from the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), Yaya Baldé and Abdoulaye Sow, before the disciplinary commission of the African body. Neither the CAF nor the FRMF confirmed this information as of the publication date.

According to the site Dailysports, which reports the same details, the grievances raised by the Moroccan side relate to “provocative gestures” attributed to Senegalese officials or players during the match – and not on the sporting outcome of the match itself. Senegal eliminated Morocco, the host country, after a penalty shootout (1-1 after extra time, 8-7 on penalties), after the Moroccans equalized in the 96th minute with a penalty kick. Senegal then won the title by defeating Tanzania in the final on June 3.

The semi-final had already sparked controversy in Senegal regarding the conditions under which the penalty awarded to Morocco was given: images shared on social media showed, according to Senegalese observers, that a Moroccan player was inside the box before the penalty was taken. The CAF and the referees did not respond to these discussions.

A dispute within a larger institutional conflict

If confirmed, this new complaint would represent the second institutional dispute between the two federations in less than six months. The FSF referred the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne on March 25, 2026, after the CAF awarded Morocco a victory by forfeit following the senior AFCON final on January 18, 2026, thus nullifying the Senegalese title won on the field. According to the official statement from the CAS, the FSF seeks the annulment of this decision and its recognition as the winner of the competition. The CAS set a deadline for Morocco to respond by May 7, 2026; no arbitration decision has been made at this stage.

The influence of Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the FRMF and one of the most powerful figures within the CAF, is regularly cited in Senegalese media as a concern regarding the impartiality of African institutions in this case. Neither the CAF nor the FRMF have responded to these allegations.

The U17 AFCON 2026 was hosted in Morocco. The four semi-finalists – Senegal, Morocco, Tanzania, and Egypt – have all qualified for the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 by reaching this stage of the competition.