The Guinea Football Federation has called on the Confederation of African Football to review the outcome of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations, citing inconsistencies following a recent ruling involving Senegal.
The request follows CAF’s controversial decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 AFCON title over a walkout incident and award victory to hosts Morocco, despite Senegal winning the final on the pitch.
Guinea’s football authorities argue that similar disciplinary standards should be applied retroactively, referencing a key moment during the 1976 tournament, which was decided using a four-team round-robin format.
In the decisive match between Morocco and Guinea, Guinea took the lead in the 33rd minute through Chérif Souleymane. Moroccan players briefly walked off the pitch in protest over a refereeing decision before returning to continue the game. Ahmed Makrouh later equalised in the 86th minute, securing a 1-1 draw that handed Morocco the title with five points, while Guinea finished second.
Guinea is now urging CAF to reassess the result under the same principles applied in the 2025 ruling. “Give us back our 1976 AFCON trophy,” the federation stated, insisting that sanctions should apply in cases where teams walk off the pitch during matches.
The recent decision to award Morocco a 3-0 victory over Senegal has reignited debate over officiating and disciplinary consistency in African football, with Guinea arguing that such standards should extend to past competitions.
However, sports legal analysts note that regulations such as Article 84—cited in the Senegal case—were not in force in 1976 and are rarely applied retroactively.
CAF has yet to respond to the request, with observers suggesting the appeal could test the organisation’s willingness to revisit historical football decisions.
