Sky Bet pays punters who backed Morocco to win AFCON after CAF ruling

2026-03-19 - 14:24

Sky Bet has confirmed it will pay out customers who backed Morocco to win the Africa Cup of Nations after the Atlas Lions were officially declared champions following a controversial final against Senegal. According to Daily Mail, the bookmaker also honoured bets placed on Senegal, meaning punters on both sides received payouts despite the disputed outcome. The decision followed a ruling by the Confederation of African Football Appeals Board, which overturned Senegal’s 1-0 victory in the January 18 final and awarded Morocco a 3-0 win, citing a breach of tournament regulations. Senegal had walked off the pitch for more than 15 minutes in protest after Morocco was awarded a late penalty. Although Morocco missed the spot-kick, Senegal went on to score through Papa Gueye in the fourth minute of extra time to secure what initially appeared to be the winning goal. However, CAF ruled that the walk-off constituted a violation of Article 82 of its regulations, which states that any team that refuses to continue a match or leaves the field without the referee’s permission forfeits the game. Under Article 84, such a breach results in automatic elimination and a 3-0 loss.