You don't see their faces — Guardiola reacts to CAF stripping Senegal of AFCON trophy

CAF overturned Senegal's dramatic 1-0 extra-time victory in the January final after an appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation.

The federation's appeals board deemed Senegal had forfeited the match due to their players walking off the pitch in protest over a late penalty awarded to the hosts, recording the result as a 3-0 default win for Morocco, despite the game resuming and Senegal ultimately winning on the field.

Speaking in a recent press conference ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal, Guardiola expressed surprise at the unprecedented move.

"It's a surprise. I don't have a proper opinion because I don't know the reason why. I didn't read, didn't see..." he said.

"But it's a decision made behind-the-scenes. What happens everywhere is what we see, and it always happens behind the scenes and you don't see their faces.

"That is what happens lately in football and all around the world in other subjects..."

Meanwhile, CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe has defended the decision to award Morocco the AFCON 2025 trophy.

Reacting to the fallout from the decision, Motsepe admitted he was “extremely disappointed” by the events surrounding the final, acknowledging that the controversy has cast a shadow over African football.

“I previously expressed my extreme disappointment with the incidents as they took place at the final match,” Motsepe said, stressing that the situation undermined years of work aimed at improving integrity, ethics, and credibility within CAF competitions.