The Guinea Football Federation has called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip Morocco of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations title, arguing that a recent precedent set in the 2025 tournament should apply equally to a controversial incident from half a century ago.
The demand follows CAF’s landmark decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 AFCON crown — awarded 58 days after the final — after the Teranga Lions walked off the pitch despite winning their match. Morocco, as hosts, were subsequently declared champions. Guinea says the same logic should reach back to 1976.
At the heart of Guinea’s claim is a decisive round-robin encounter between the two nations at that year’s tournament. Morocco needed only a draw to clinch the title, while Guinea required a win. Guinea took the lead in the 33rd minute through Chérif Souleymane, only for Moroccan players to briefly leave the pitch in protest over a contentious refereeing call. The players eventually returned, and Ahmed Makrouh’s 86th-minute equaliser sealed a 1-1 draw — enough to hand Morocco the title on five points, with Guinea finishing as runners-up.
The federation was blunt in its statement: “Give us back our 1976 AFCON trophy.” It argued that retroactive sanctions should apply wherever a team abandoned the field of play, regardless of when the match was played.
Legal analysts, however, have tempered expectations. They note that CAF’s Article 84 — the regulation cited in the Senegal ruling — was not in existence in 1976 and is rarely, if ever, applied retroactively. The procedural and legal obstacles facing Guinea’s case are considered significant.
CAF has not yet responded to the federation’s request. Whether the governing body engages with the appeal at all may itself signal how far it is willing to let the Senegal precedent travel — and whether a ruling meant to discipline one team could end up unsettling decades of continental football history.
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