Following complaints from several players and member nations regarding incidents of misconduct during the TotalEnergies 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the CAF Disciplinary Board has imposed a series of penalties and fines on the teams, players, and officials found guilty.

Earlier this week, the Confederation of African Football condemned behaviour by some players and officials during the AFCON final between hosts Morocco and Senegal in Rabat on Sunday night, and other match misconduct was recorded, including the Algeria vs Nigeria in the round of 16 knockout stage.

CAF, in a Monday statement posted on its official website, expressed its position, describing the behaviour as “unacceptable”.

“The Confédération Africaine de Football condemns the unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 Final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night,” the statement read.

The continental football authority said it strongly condemns any form of inappropriate conduct during matches, particularly actions directed at match officials or organisers.

CAF also disclosed that a review is being conducted on all available footage from the final and throughout the tournament, saying it would refer the matter to the appropriate bodies for disciplinary action.

The CAF Disciplinary Board convened to deliberate on matters arising from the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 between Algeria and Nigeria on 10 January 2026.

On Wednesday, the CAF Disciplinary Board released a communique detailing its rulings on the misconduct involving the Algerian national team and its players.

The CAF Disciplinary Board decided on the following:

  • Suspend Algeria player Luca Zidane for two (2) CAF official matches with the Algeria national team for misconduct
  • Suspend Algeria player Rafik Belghali, player for four (4) CAF official matches with the Algeria national team, for aggressive and intimidating behaviour towards the match referee at the end of the match. However, two (2) matches are suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year, starting from the date of the present decision.
  • Impose a fine of USD 5,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for the conduct of the senior (“A”) national team, having received five (5) cautions (yellow cards) during the match, in violation of Article 130(a) of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
  • Impose a fine of USD 25,000 on the Algerian Football Federation due to the inappropriate behaviour of its players and officials at the end of the match, which brought the match into disrepute, in violation of Articles 82 and 83 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
  • Impose a fine of USD 5,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for the use of smoke devices by its supporters.
  • Impose a fine of USD 5,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for the throwing of objects by its supporters.
  • Impose a fine of USD 10,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for failure to comply with security measures, due to the behaviour of its supporters who attempted to force the security barriers.
  • Impose a fine of USD 50,000 on the Algerian Football Federation for offensive and abusive gestures (displaying banknotes) committed by its supporters towards the match officials.