Mustapha Hadji has defended Morocco’s claim to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and criticised referee Jean-Jacques Ndala for allowing the final to continue after Senegal temporarily left the pitch.

More than nine months after the final, the ownership of the trophy remains unresolved as Morocco and Senegal await the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) verdict. The dispute has become as much a legal matter as a sporting one, with each public intervention adding to the tension.

Speaking to Arabic media outlet Kooora, former Morocco international Hadji strongly backed the position of the Atlas Lions. The 1998 African Ballon d’Or winner said Senegal’s decision to leave the field should have resulted in a sanction.

“Morocco did not commit any offence, while the Senegalese players left the pitch. The law therefore says that Morocco has the right to take back the Africa Cup,” Hadji said.

He added: “We did not steal the cup. We won it according to the regulations and the events that took place on the pitch.”

Senegal continue to regard the decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as an administrative confiscation of a trophy they had won in sporting terms.

On 18 January in Rabat, Senegal won the final 1-0 after extra time. However, their players briefly left the pitch in response to a penalty awarded to Morocco in added time. CAF’s appeal jury later classified the incident as a forfeit and changed the result to a 3-0 victory for Morocco.

Hadji also directed criticism at Ndala, the Congolese referee who allowed play to restart.

“The referee made a serious mistake when he decided to continue the match after the Senegalese players had left the pitch,” he said.

The former Morocco player questioned why the assistant referees, the video assistant referee (VAR) team and CAF officials had not provided greater guidance over Ndala’s decision.

Hadji believes Senegal’s players understand that the decision was irregular.

“They know the regulations and know very well what happened. They know that the referee took that decision to allow the match to finish without causing more serious problems,” he said.

Senegal’s argument is that, because the final resumed and was played through to the end, the result on the pitch should stand. The CAS must therefore rule on the conflict between a sanction for a temporary withdrawal and the sporting principle commonly known as the “field of play” doctrine.

The hearing took place in Lausanne on 8 October, with representatives of both national federations and CAF present. The arbitration panel is now deliberating, with its decision expected towards the end of November.

Hadji said he would respect the judgment whatever the outcome, while hoping it would favour Morocco. He also called for the dispute to be resolved, saying its prolonged nature was damaging the image of African football.

However, his insistence that Morocco had “not stolen” the title and that Senegal “know” what happened has reignited a controversy that remains unresolved.