According to Footmercato, Mehdi Benatia, former captain of the Morocco national team, who played for Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Roma, and now works as a Canal+ pundit, was interviewed by Bertrand Latour on a Canal+ video program. He mainly discussed the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal, an intercontinental final with a bizarre and highly controversial plot that is still being litigated in African football courts. On the field, the Teranga Lions had won 1-0 in extra time with a goal from Pape Gueye, after Brahim Díaz missed a penalty. But before the match resumed, the Senegal players had temporarily left the field to protest the referee's decisions. At the request of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the CAF Appeals Committee ultimately overturned the match result in March this year, ruling that Senegal lost 3-0 and formally awarded the trophy to the Atlas Lions, on the grounds that the rules stipulate that any withdrawal, even if play is subsequently resumed, will be considered a forfeiture. This unprecedented legal tug-of-war is still ongoing, as the Senegal Football Federation has appealed the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) in Lausanne, with a final ruling expected before the end of November.
Benatia said: "I watched that final, and it was a very balanced game. Morocco had a great Africa Cup of Nations, and Senegal gave them a lot of trouble, but it's sad for Moroccan football that in the end, they still have to ask 'who won, who didn't.' You'd think this kind of thing only happens in Africa. My biggest disappointment is that everything was arranged so well, but it still ended up like this. I have friends who participated in the Africa Cup of Nations who told me: 'Your country is amazing, everything is well-organized, the weather is great, and the stadiums and hotels are excellent.' But then this happened... However, if you look at the rules, which I don't really understand, they do state: if you leave the field and there are no longer enough players on the field, it's a forfeiture. So the fault lies with the referees and match officials for not making that decision. Then you decide to come back, continue the game, and finish the match, which also means you accept everything that happened... I don't know who will make the final decision, but this whole thing is a mess. In any case, this championship will never have the same taste. It's like Manchester City: if you take away all their titles, they would also say, 'We won them on the field.'"