The Guinean Football Federation has denied reports claiming it filed an appeal with the Confederation of African Football to challenge Morocco’s 1976 Africa Cup of Nations victory.
The clarification follows viral claims suggesting that Guinea had demanded the 1976 AFCON trophy be awarded to it, citing a reported walkout by Morocco during the final match of the tournament.
The rumours emerged after CAF’s Appeals Board reportedly stripped Senegal of the 2025 AFCON title and awarded it to Morocco.
The ruling allegedly found Senegal in violation of Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations after several players walked off the pitch to protest a referee’s decision, fueling reports in some quarters linking Guinea to past competitions.
Reacting in a statement issued on Sunday, the FGF described the reports as “inaccurate” and “without official basis.”
“In recent days, information circulating on various media, particularly social networks, has falsely suggested that Guinea had taken steps to contest the result of the match between the Syli National and Morocco during this competition,” the statement read.
“The Guinean Football Federation wishes to clarify, in a spirit of responsibility and reconciliation, that this information is inaccurate and has no official basis,” it added.
The federation also provided context on the 1976 AFCON final round.
The Guinea-Morocco match was played on March 14, 1976, in Addis Ababa, under Zambian referee Nyirenda Chayu.
Guinea opened the scoring in the 33rd minute through Chérif Souleymane, before Morocco equalised in the 86th minute via Ahmed Makrouh, known as “Baba.”
The tournament format differed from the current structure.
Eight teams participated, split into two groups of four.
The top two teams from each group advanced to a final round played in a round-robin format, with the team earning the most points crowned champions.
Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, and Guinea progressed to the final round.
By the final game, only Morocco and Guinea remained in contention for the title.
Guinea needed a win to claim the trophy, while a draw was sufficient for Morocco. Makrouh’s late equaliser secured a 1-1 draw, handing Morocco its first AFCON title.
Meanwhile, PUNCH Online had reported that CAF has officially updated its records to recognise Morocco as the champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with Senegal listed as runners-up.
This is as the Senegalese Football Federation confirmed it filed an urgent appeal against the CAF Appeals Board verdict before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
