The contentious CAN 2025 final continues to spark debate, nearly three months after its initial conclusion. On January 18 in Rabat, Senegal secured a 1-0 victory against Morocco following extra time. However, on March 17, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) controversially overturned this outcome, awarding Morocco a 3-0 win by forfeit.
CAF’s appeal jury justified its decision by invoking articles 82 and 84 of its regulations. These articles state that a team leaving the field or refusing to recommence play is automatically deemed to have lost. The Senegalese Football Federation vehemently disputes this interpretation and has escalated the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) in an effort to nullify the ruling.
As the football world awaits the TAS’s judgment, Edouard Mendy has broken his silence to champion the stance of the Lions of Teranga. Appearing on the Saudi podcast Mo Show Prod, the Al-Hilal goalkeeper presented an account of events that directly challenges Morocco’s allegations of a collective abandonment of the pitch.
The Senegalese shot-stopper, who was a key figure in the final after saving Brahim Diaz’s penalty, emphasized a crucial detail. « 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, » he asserted.
Edouard Mendy champions Senegal’s position
Furthermore, Mendy referenced the official report from referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to bolster his argument: « That’s why the referee didn’t blow the final whistle. His report stated that the match was paused for a moment, not that the team had abandoned it, precisely because players remained on the pitch. »
The former Chelsea goalkeeper contended that the game did indeed resume, a fact he believes invalidates any claim of a forfeit: « The match paused briefly and then restarted, so from that point onwards, there’s no need to discuss what happened because the game continued to its conclusion. If the entire team had been absent, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today. But that wasn’t the situation. »
Nevertheless, Mendy’s account doesn’t entirely clarify the situation. According to Afrik Foot, the official report, corroborated by video footage, suggests that almost the entire Senegalese squad, with the sole exception of Sadio Mané, did leave the field for several minutes. This reportedly included Edouard Mendy himself, who was observed heading towards the dressing rooms early. The conflicting narratives persist as the football community awaits the ultimate ruling from the TAS.
