March 20, (THEWILL) — The Guinea Football Federation has petitioned the Confederation of African Football to reconsider the outcome of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations, citing parallels with the walkout that recently cost Senegal the 2025 title.
CAF stripped Senegal of the 2025 AFCON honours 58 days after the tournament concluded, handing the trophy to hosts, Morocco, following Senegal’s abandonment of the pitch during the final. Guinea has argued that an equivalent standard ought to be applied to historical matches.
The 1976 edition was decided under a four-team round-robin format, with Morocco needing only a draw while Guinea required a victory to claim the title. Guinea led through Chérif Souleymane’s 33rd-minute strike before Moroccan players temporarily walked off in protest at a refereeing decision, later returning to complete the match.
Ahmed Makrouh equalised for Morocco in the 86th minute to end the contest 1-1. Morocco finished top of the group with five points to be crowned champions, while Guinea placed second. The federation has called for the 1976 trophy to be awarded to Guinea, arguing retroactive sanctions should apply wherever teams left the pitch during play.
However, there is a caveat as CAF’s Article 84, which formed the basis of the Senegal ruling, was not in force in 1976 and is rarely applied retroactively. Yet, CAF has not issued a response to the federation’s appeal, but Guinea’s request could test the governing body’s readiness to revisit historical decisions.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
