Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi has taken the extraordinary step of publicly rejecting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations trophy, declaring that his side did not earn the title on the pitch and urging his teammates to follow suit — a remarkable act of sporting conscience that has ignited fresh debate over a tournament already mired in controversy.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender made his position unequivocal following a CAF Appeal Board ruling on March 17, 2026, which overturned Morocco’s 1-0 final defeat to Senegal, converting it to a 3-0 victory in Morocco’s favour after Senegal walked off the pitch — a move CAF deemed a forfeiture under its regulations.
But Hakimi wanted no part of a title won through a boardroom decision rather than football. Citing his own mother’s counsel, he said he could not in good conscience accept a trophy that rightfully belonged to Senegal.
Hakimi said, “My mum told me to reject the AFCON trophy. I’m officially rejecting it and hope my teammates do the same. We had a chance but failed to win.”
Hakimi was emphatic that Senegal’s triumph had been legitimate and that stripping them of the title would be a disservice to their achievement. “That’s football — sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Senegal beat us fairly and deserved it. It will be unfair to ruin their joy after all their hard work,” he added.
While acknowledging CAF’s authority to make the ruling, he was equally clear that institutional decisions could not override his personal sense of sporting integrity.
“I respect the CAF decision, but I’m officially rejecting the trophy. I didn’t win the 2025 AFCON. Congratulations to Senegal once again,” he stated further.
The Senegalese Football Federation has since announced it will challenge the CAF Appeal Board’s ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, keeping the legal and sporting battle over the continent’s most prestigious football prize firmly alive.
Hakimi’s stance has been widely praised across the football world as a rare and principled stand, with many observers describing it as a defining moment of integrity in a tournament whose conclusion has been anything but straightforward.
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