The Guinea Football Federation has called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to review the outcome of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations, citing Morocco’s temporary walkout during a match and a recent ruling involving Senegal.
The request follows CAF’s controversial decision to overturn the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where Senegal were stripped of the title after a walkout, despite winning on the pitch. CAF subsequently awarded the championship to Morocco.
Guinea argues that similar disciplinary standards should be applied to past tournaments. The federation specifically referenced the decisive 1976 AFCON clash between Morocco and Guinea, which was played under a four-team round-robin format.
In that match, Guinea took the lead in the 33rd minute through Chérif Souleymane. Moroccan players briefly walked off the pitch in protest over a refereeing decision but later returned to continue the game.
Ahmed Makrouh equalised in the 86th minute, and the match ended 1-1. The result saw Morocco top the group with five points to win the title, while Guinea finished second.
The Guinea Football Federation insists that the incident should be reassessed under principles similar to those applied in the 2025 ruling. In a strongly worded statement, the federation demanded, “Give us back our 1976 AFCON trophy,” adding that retroactive sanctions should be considered in cases where teams left the pitch during play.
However, sports legal analysts note 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, but observers say the appeal could test the organization’s willingness to revisit historical football decisions.
