Morocco did not leave the pitch during the 1976 AFCON final against Guinea
Africa’s football governing body invalidated the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in March, stripping Senegal of the title and awarding it to hosts Morocco. This followed a pitch walk-off by Senegal’s players during the final, which officials said amounted to a forfeit. Since this controversial decision, numerous social media posts have claimed that the Moroccan team acted similarly during the 1976 AFCON without facing any sanctions.
Others allege that Guinea, Morocco’s opponent at the time, has filed a lawsuit to reclaim their supposedly stolen victory. But this is false: the Moroccan team never abandoned the pitch during that match, according to several experts interviewed by AFP Fact Check, including a Guinean player who was on the field that day. The Guinean Football Federation also denied initiating any legal proceedings.
During the AFCON final held in Rabat on January 18, 2026, Senegal defeated the hosts Morocco in a 1-0 match marked by numerous incidents (archived here ). In the final minutes of the game, Senegal had a goal disallowed, and the Moroccan team was awarded a penalty. The decisions angered the Senegalese players, most of whom left the pitch for about 15 minutes in protest.
They eventually returned, motivated by their captain, Sadio Mané, and won the match after extra time. However, following an appeal filed by Morocco, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stripped the Lions of Teranga of their title on March 17, ruling that a walk-off constituted a forfeit (archived here and here ). The decision drew strong criticism across Africa and led to claims about a similar incident in the 1976 tournament.
“Guinea is asking CAF to award them the 1976 AFCON because Morocco players also worked out in that game,” reads a Facebook post published on March 21, 2026, and shared more than 5,000 times. A screenshot with text overlaid on the clip reads: “Yes, the Moroccan team briefly walked off the field during their crucial 1976 Africa Cup of Nations match against Guinea on March 14, 1976. They protested a refereeing decision before returning to play, securing a 1-1 draw that won them their first AFCON title.
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