By Duchess Ifeoluwa

The Guinea Football Federation has called on the Confederation of African Football to revisit the outcome of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations, arguing that the title should be reassigned to Guinea in light of a recent disciplinary decision involving Senegal.

The move follows CAF’s controversial ruling on the 2025 AFCON, in which Senegal national football team were stripped of their title 58 days after the tournament despite winning on the pitch.

The continental body sanctioned Senegal for a walkout during the competition and subsequently awarded the match to hosts Morocco national football team.

Citing the precedent, the Guinean football authorities insist that similar standards should be applied to historical cases, particularly the decisive final-round match of the 1976 tournament between Guinea and Morocco.

The 1976 AFCON, held in Ethiopia, was decided through a round-robin format involving four teams, rather than a conventional final.

Morocco required only a draw in their last match to secure the title, while Guinea needed an outright victory.

Guinea took the lead in the 33rd minute through Chérif Souleymane, raising hopes of clinching the championship.

However, the match was marred by controversy when Moroccan players briefly walked off the pitch in protest against a refereeing decision before returning to continue the game.

Morocco eventually equalised in the 86th minute through Ahmed Makrouh, earning a 1–1 draw that secured the title with five points, while Guinea finished second.

In its submission, the Guinean federation argued that the temporary walkout by Moroccan players should now be reassessed under the same disciplinary principles recently applied by CAF.

“Give us back our 1976 AFCON trophy,” the federation said, maintaining that if CAF can retroactively punish match incidents in contemporary competitions, then similar scrutiny should extend to past tournaments where rules were allegedly breached.

The latest CAF ruling, which awarded Morocco a 3–0 victory following Senegal’s walk-off in 2025, has reignited debate over consistency in disciplinary enforcement and the extent to which modern regulations can be applied to historical matches.

However, sports legal analysts caution that CAF’s current regulatory framework, including provisions such as Article 84 governing match forfeitures, did not exist in 1976 and are typically not applied retroactively across decades.

CAF has yet to issue an official response to Guinea’s request.