The Africa Cup of Nations has been awarded to Morocco - some two months after their final defeat - after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stated that Senegal had forfeited the game.

Senegal had claimed victory in extra-time, winning 1-0 as Sadio Mane added another AFCON title to his CV. But in an extraordinary move the governing body of African football has reversed the result and given Morocco the title.

The final itself descend into chaos in the final moments - which led to a 17 minute delay as Senegal's players walked off the pitch at the request of their coach, Pape Thiaw. They were fuming after Morocco had been awarded a late penalty, but upon the eventual restart it was missed by Brahim Diaz.

Pape Gueye's goal in extra-time won the trophy for Senegal, or so they thought, with the result now being reversed after it was deemed that Senegal had forfeited the game by walking off.

A from CAF statement read: "The CAF Appeal Board decided that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF)."

• AFCON final result REVERSED after Senegal chaos as extraordinary statement issued

• Senegal manager and players BANNED as punishments dished out for AFCON final chaos

CAF also went on to state that "Senegal through the conduct of its team, infringed Article 82 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations." Crucially they also confirmed that "In application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Senegal team is declared to have forfeited the match, with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of Morocco."

Morocco's football federation lodged an appeal following the final - and that has been upheld by the CAF appeal board, resulting in a 3-0 defeat for Senegal. It means that Morocco, who were the host nation, clinched their second AFCON title, and their first since 1976.

Mane was crucial in getting Senegal to reappear from the dressing room after their walk off, albeit his efforts have now proved in vain. He explained at the time: “When they decided to go out and not play, I stayed and asked some people, ‘What do you think about this? Is it a good idea or not?’

"Then I decided to go and bring everyone back to the pitch. I think it is the best thing to do. Because this is just football, I think the referee sometimes can make mistakes. People around the world are watching. It could be a penalty or not, but that is not the most important thing. What matters is respecting the game. It is not fair to stop a match like this.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us - and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.