A former disciplinary official of the Confederation of African Football has claimed that the Moroccan national team briefly walked off the pitch during the final round of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations, despite eventually winning the competition.
Raymond Hack made the assertion during an interview with sports broadcaster Robert Marawa while reacting to the recent ruling that stripped Senegal national football team of the 2025 AFCON title and awarded the trophy to Morocco national football team.
According to Hack, the situation bears similarities to events during the 1976 tournament, where Morocco reportedly left the pitch briefly during their decisive match against Guinea national football team before returning to complete the game.
The 1976 AFCON had a different format from today’s tournament structure. Only eight teams participated and were divided into two groups. The top two teams from each group advanced to a final round, where the four teams competed in a round-robin format to determine the champion.
In the final round, Morocco faced Nigeria national football team, Egypt national football team, and Guinea. The final match between Morocco and Guinea ultimately decided the title.
Morocco secured the championship after Ahmed Makrouh scored a late equaliser to seal a 1–1 draw, a result that gave Morocco enough points to win its first AFCON title.
“There are precedents in this regard. Go back to the 1976 AFCON when Guinea played Morocco, and Morocco walked off the pitch. Then they came back onto the pitch. The game was not abandoned,” Hack said.
However, the claim has not been independently verified. The recent CAF ruling on the 2025 AFCON has continued to generate controversy, with the Senegalese Football Federation filing an urgent appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Meanwhile, the Government of Senegal has also called for an independent international investigation into the ruling, citing concerns about transparency and fairness in African football governance
