Achraf Hakimi, captain of Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain defender, has publicly refused to accept the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, highlighting a rare stand for sporting integrity in African football.

Hakimi, 27, one of the world’s most highly regarded right-backs, rejected the awarded title outright.

“My mum told me to reject the AFCON trophy. I’m officially rejecting it and hope my teammates do the same. We had a chance but failed to win,” he said.

“Senegal beat us fairly and deserved it. It will be unfair to ruin their joy after the hard work they put in. I respect the CAF decision but I’m officially rejecting the trophy. I didn’t win 2025 AFCON.

Congratulations to Senegal once again.” He later posted a cryptic message on X: “Energy speaks, I don’t,” reinforcing his commitment to principle over formal recognition.

The decision follows a controversial CAF ruling that retroactively awarded Morocco the championship after Senegal temporarily walked off the field during the final.

Morocco entered the AFCON 2025 tournament as hosts and one of the continent’s strongest sides, featuring stars like Hakimi and Brahim Diaz.

The final, held on Jan. 18, 2026, at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, initially saw a tense 0-0 deadlock.

In stoppage time, a VAR-reviewed penalty was awarded to Morocco after a challenge involving Diaz.

Senegal’s players, protesting the decision and a denied request to review the VAR footage, walked off the pitch for roughly 15 minutes.

Captain Sadio Mane eventually persuaded his teammates to return, and the game resumed.

Pape Gueye scored a curling left-footed goal in the 94th minute of extra time, securing a 1-0 victory for Senegal and their second AFCON title.

Nearly two months later, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation filed an appeal, arguing Senegal’s walk-off violated Article 84 of the AFCON regulations, which addresses abandonment and failure to complete a match.

On March 17, 2026, CAF’s Appeal Board ruled in Morocco’s favour, officially recording the final as a 3-0 forfeit win for Morocco and awarding them their second continental trophy since 1976.

CAF’s decision sparked immediate controversy, with critics across the continent calling it a dangerous precedent that undermines on-pitch results and the spirit of fair competition.

Senegal’s football federation confirmed plans to appeal the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.

Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (rtd), has said that the federal government knows those financing terrorism in Nigeria.

He said also that be held responsible for the failure to publicly disclose the names of individuals financing terrorism during his tenure as Army Chief (July 2015-January 2021).

General Buratai spoke on Friday on Channels Television’s Politics Today and stated that relevant government agencies are already aware of those behind terror financing.

According to him: “You cannot say I should be responsible for naming the financiers of terror.

“It’s not just about mentioning names. Those agencies know why the names are not released.

“Action should be taken. These individuals are still within society today, and they are known.

“I take responsibility for certain things that are strictly the Nigerian Army’s responsibility.”

He also claimed that the decision to rehabilitate repentant Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (BH/ISWAP) terrorists was not taken by the Nigerian Army but by the government.

“The initial concept that we had was that we gave them a timeline to surrender in 2016, and if they surrendered, we gave them a free passage and handed them over to appropriate agencies to rehabilitate them,” he added.

Buratai further lamented the worsening security situation in the country, stressing the need for improved intelligence gathering to tackle insecurity.

He also urged the government to recruit more security personnel to strengthen efforts aimed at making the country safer.

The is massive surge in the demand for petrol from Dangote refinery from different governments across Africa as the war in the Middle East disrupts global supply.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has been approached by South Africa and several other countries, according to Bloomberg.

South Africa is reportedly seeking a standard 12-month supply contract with Nigeria, reports said.

The conflict, which began on February 28, has disrupted global trade, particularly due to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The resulting shocks are being felt worldwide, from cooking gas shortages in India to dwindling naphtha supplies in Japan, highlighting vulnerabilities across the global energy market.

African nations are among those most affected. East and Southern Africa are particularly exposed, with roughly 75% of refined-fuel imports coming from the Middle East.

In South Africa, the National Treasury recently warned it has limited capacity to shield consumers from rising prices. Crude oil costs have surged more than 40%, topping $100 per barrel, while disruptions in shipping and production ripple across the continent.

Ethiopia has urged citizens to reduce fuel consumption amid the supply crunch.

At Dangote’s 650,000 barrel-per-day refinery, about 75% of output is reserved for Nigeria, leaving the remainder available for export. Ghana and Kenya have also reportedly reached out. “Right now it is not about pricing, it’s about availability,” Dangote told The Economist. “I think the situation will continue for a while.”

While South Africa says its fuel supply is adequate for the coming weeks, Kenya requires oil marketers to maintain at least three weeks of stock. For context, the International Energy Agency (IEA) requires member countries to hold a minimum of 90 days of net oil imports, but no African nation is currently part of the global watchdog.