Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi has publicly rejected the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title awarded to Morocco by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), insisting that neither he nor his teammates should accept a trophy they did not win on the field.
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In a statement released on social media and widely circulated on March 18, 2026, 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. Senegal beat us fairly and deserved it. It will be unfair to ruin their joy after the hard work.”
The defender acknowledged CAF’s decision but emphasised sporting integrity over administrative rulings: “I respect the CAF decision but I’m officially rejecting the trophy. I didn’t win 2025 AFCON. Congratulations to Senegal once again.”
Morocco and Senegal contested the 2025 AFCON final, with Senegal winning 1–0. However, Senegal staged a walk-off protest during the match over a disputed refereeing decision. On March 17, 2026, CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that the walk-off constituted forfeiture under competition regulations, overturned the result to a 3–0 win for Morocco, and awarded the title to the Atlas Lions.
The Senegalese Football Federation immediately announced it would appeal the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), calling the decision “unjust and contrary to the spirit of the game.”
Hakimi’s stance marks a rare instance of a player publicly declining a continental title in favour of on-pitch merit, drawing praise from many fans for upholding sporting integrity while also sparking debate about whether administrative decisions should be accepted as final.
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The case now heads to CAS, where the final outcome could still change the official record of the 2025 AFCON winner.
DDNewsOnline – Lagos
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