A controversial video has reignited a myth surrounding a 1976 Morocco-Guinea match, fueled by websites of questionable credibility and amplified by social media. Yet, there is no trace in the archives of this alleged withdrawal of the Moroccan team, revealing an opportunistic rewriting of history linked to recent tensions surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Ahmed Faras (Morocco) and Petit Sory (Guinea) / Archive ‹ › A nearly half-century-old event has unexpectedly resurfaced in the spotlight, following the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). On January 23, 2026, during the broadcast of Café des sports on France 24, Cameroonian host Rémy Ngono alleged that Morocco had walked off the pitch during its crucial match against Guinea in 1976, only to return and resume play. This clip has quickly gone viral, circulating on social media and being shared by numerous Senegalese sites and influencers. The aim is to counter the negative backlash following coach Pape Thiaw and his team's decision to protest a penalty awarded to Morocco by leaving the pitch. Fake archival document produced by AI widely shared by Senegalese influencers sporting the latest CAF logoFake archival document widely shared by Senegalese influencers displaying the latest CAF logo The story's virality can be traced back to dubious sources, such as Kafunel, a sensationalist Senegalese website claiming to be a "reliable sentinel of news" (sic). The narrative gained traction, even appearing in French media outlets like L'Equipe and France24, with journalist Sylvère-Henry Cissé repeating the unverified claim, amplifying it to the point of creating an illusion of truth. What the 1976 archives actually say Official match reports from the 1976 African Cup of Nations describe a game between Morocco and Guinea that proceeded without major incidents. After Guinea's Chérif Souleymane scored in the 33rd minute, there was no protest from the Moroccan side or any walk-off, contrary to the revisionist claims. The match was indeed tense, as Guinea's goal meant they would win the Cup, while Morocco needed only a draw to secure victory. The expulsion of Morocco's Semmat by the referee further heightened tensions on the field. Despite being down to ten men, Morocco was able to equalize with a stunning long-range shot by Ahmed Makrouh in the 86th minute, not by Ahmed Faras as Rémy Ngono erroneously stated. This goal secured Morocco's first continental title. CAN 1976: The Moroccan team escapes a plane crash, then returns with the title A retrospective rewriting In a match of such significance, any withdrawal, even temporary, would have been a major incident, thoroughly documented. Yet, no such record exists in press archives, CAF or FIFA records, or any subsequent historical accounts. Moreover, the limited footage available from the match, frequently shared online, shows no protest following the Guinean goal or any collective walk-off. Just days before the AFCON 2025 final, Ouest-France revisited the 1976 AFCON in a video, noting no controversy. Similarly, this Guinean journalist did not mention any scandal when sharing one of the few videos of the match, emphasizing that it was the first and only final Guinea had played. This rumor seems to be a late fabrication, fueled by the controversy surrounding the heated Morocco-Senegal final, and more recently by the CAF appeals committee's decision to award Morocco the victory by default, citing articles 82 and 84 of the regulations. The opinion of Said El Abadi, sports journalist Contacted by Yabiladi, Said El Abadi expressed his surprise at seeing this rumor spread without verification, especially in today's age of social media. "We had never heard of any player walk-off in 1976. In my research for my book History of Football in Africa, I found no trace of it, and it has never been mentioned. During the Africa Cup of Nations, there was a conference in Rabat with three former Moroccan internationals who were part of the 1976 victory (Abdellah Tazi, Abdelali Zahraoui, and Redouane El Guezzar). They recounted the palpable tension on the field and felt the red card they received was unjust. There was protest, as there is today, but no walk-off as claimed. It's unfortunate, but we know that today fake news spreads quickly when it aligns with the reader's perspective."
