Guinea revives 1976 AFCON claim after CAF sanctions Senegal

The Guinea Football Federation has urged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to review the outcome of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), citing Morocco’s walkout in the final match and a recent disciplinary ruling involving Senegal.

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The request follows CAF’s decision to overturn the 2025 AFCON final result after sanctioning the Senegal national football team for a walkout, despite their victory on the pitch.

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CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that the protest during a late penalty incident constituted a forfeit, awarding a 3–0 win to the Morocco national football team and crowning the hosts champions.

Guinea argues that similar disciplinary standards should be applied retroactively to historical matches.

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The 1976 tournament, played in a four-team round-robin format, saw Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, and Guinea reach the final phase.

Heading into the last round, only Morocco and Guinea remained in contention for the title. Guinea needed a win, while a draw would suffice for Morocco.

Guinea took the lead in the 33rd minute through Chérif Souleymane before Moroccan players briefly walked off in protest over a refereeing decision. The match resumed, and Ahmed Makrouh equalised in the 86th minute to secure a 1–1 draw.

Morocco finished top of the group with five points to win their first AFCON title, while Guinea placed second.

The Guinea federation insists the incident should now be reassessed under the same principles applied in the 2025 ruling, stating, “Give us back our 1976 AFCON trophy.”

Adding weight to the claim, Raymond Hack confirmed the historical precedent in a recent interview with Robert Marawa.

“There are precedents in this regard. Go back to the 1976 AFCON. Morocco walked off the pitch. Then they came back onto the pitch. The game was not abandoned.”

Guinea has used this admission to reinforce its formal request, arguing that if CAF can retroactively punish a walkout after a tournament, as seen in the 2025 case, it must also address historical instances where teams left the pitch during play.

The federation added that retroactive sanctions should be considered in such cases, noting that CAF’s latest decision has reignited scrutiny over past matches and disciplinary consistency.

CAF has yet to issue a formal response to Guinea’s request. Meanwhile, the Senegalese Football Federation is pursuing an urgent appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to have their 2025 victory reinstated.