FIFA President calls for sanctions to be imposed on the Senegal national team

FIFA President Gianni Infantino strongly condemned the Senegal national team, which withdrew briefly after the referee awarded a penalty kick to the Moroccan national team in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final yesterday evening, Sunday.

Infantino said he expected appropriate sanctions after the chaotic scenes in Rabat on Sunday, where Senegal eventually defeated hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time, but only after late drama in normal time when the referee awarded a controversial penalty kick in favor of the hosts.

The referee awarded a penalty kick in favor of Morocco in approximately the eighth minute of stoppage time, and the Senegalese players withdrew from the field, in protest against what they saw as a wrong decision, apparently on the orders of coach Pape Thiaw, heading to the dressing rooms, and clashes also occurred between fans and security forces in the stands. Senegal returned after 16 minutes, then Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty kick in an unfortunate manner.

Bab Guy scored the winning goal for Senegal in the first half of extra time, giving his country the second continental title in its history.

“Unfortunately, we also witnessed unacceptable scenes on the field and in the stands. We strongly condemn the behavior of some fans, as well as some Senegal players and the technical staff,” Infantino wrote on the Instagram photo-sharing platform.

He added, “It is unacceptable to leave the field in this way. Likewise, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport. This is simply not true. We must always respect the decisions made by match officials on and off the field.”

Infantino concluded his message by saying, “I expect the relevant disciplinary bodies of the Confederation of African Football to take appropriate measures.”