Morocco/Guinea: Morocco Walked Out in Afcon 1976 and Now Guinea Seeks Review Too

20 March 2026
Nile Post (Kampala)

The Guinea Football Federation has urged the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to review the 1976 Afcon outcome, citing Morocco's walkout and a recent ruling against Senegal.

The call follows Caf's decision to overturn the 2025 Afcon result as a sanction against Senegal for a walkout, despite winning on the pitch.

Caf stripped Senegal of the 2025 title 58 days after the tournament, declaring hosts Morocco as champions.

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Guinea said similar disciplinary standards should apply to historical matches.

The federation referenced the decisive 1976 clash between Morocco and Guinea, played under a four-team round-robin format.

Morocco needed a draw, while Guinea required a victory to win the title.

Guinea went ahead on 33 minutes through Cherif Souleymane, but controversy erupted after the hour mark when Zambian referee Nyirenda Chayu showed Morocco's Abdallah Semmat a red card for a contentious foul on Papa Camara.

The decision led to Morocco players leaving the pitch in protest, and they stayed on the sideline for about 15 minutes as mediations continued.

Play eventually resumed afterwards with ten-man Morocco eventually finding an equalizer via Ahmed Makrouh's shot into the top corner from over 25 yards on 86 minutes.

The draw secured Morocco's first-place finish with five points, one point ahead of Guinea to claim their maiden Afcon title.

Guinea now argues the incident should be reassessed using principles applied in the 2025 ruling.

The federation stated: "Give us back our 1976 Afcon trophy."

But the federation has yet to officially consider the Guinea request.

It added that retroactive sanctions should apply where teams left the pitch during play.

The Caf ruling awarding Morocco a 3-0 win after Senegal's walkout has renewed scrutiny of past matches.

Sports legal analysts noted that CAF regulations, including Article 84, were not in force in 1976 and are rarely applied retroactively.

Caf has yet to respond to Guinea's request.

Original article by People's Gazette

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