Wholesale sanctions on Senegal and Morocco due to the African final

The Disciplinary Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) imposed suspension and financial sanctions on Senegal and Morocco against the backdrop of the events that accompanied the African Cup of Nations final between them in Rabat this month, while rejecting the protest submitted by the Moroccan Federation.

The match, which was held on January 18, witnessed a pause that lasted about a quarter of an hour at the end of its regular time, due to the Senegalese players threatening to withdraw when the referee canceled a goal in their favor before awarding a penalty kick for Morocco. Then the players returned to the field and Ibrahim Dias missed the penalty kick and the Senegalese team scored in extra time to win the title.
The match also witnessed riots from Senegal fans, and another in which Moroccan players and ball collectors hid the towels of Senegalese national team goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
The Continental Federation said in a statement published early Thursday: “The CAF Disciplinary Committee rejected the protest submitted by the Moroccan Football Federation regarding what it considered violations by the Senegalese Football Federation of the provisions of Articles 82 and 84 of the regulations of the African Cup of Nations, related to the final of the Morocco 2025 edition.”
The Continental Confederation suspended Senegal coach Pape Thiaw for five official CAF matches due to his unsporting behaviour, for violating the principles of fair play and integrity and harming the reputation of the game. A fine of $100,000 was also imposed on him.
It was also decided to suspend Senegalese players Elimane Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr for two official matches “due to unsportsmanlike behavior towards the referee.”
A source in the committee confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the penalties for suspending the players and the Senegal coach will not apply to the upcoming World Cup matches for which the Senegalese and Moroccan teams qualified, but rather apply to the CAF competitions only.
The source said, “Suspension penalties will be applied in the matches organized by the African Confederation, which means that they will be subsequently applied during the qualifiers for the 2027 edition of the African Cup of Nations, which is expected to begin during the international break next September.”
The Senegalese Federation was fined $300,000 “due to the inappropriate behavior of its fans, which damaged the reputation of the game and violated the principles of fair play and integrity,” and $300,000 “due to the unsportsmanlike behavior of its players and the technical staff, which also damaged the reputation of the game and violated the principles of fair play, loyalty and integrity.”

Hakimi and Sibari suspended
As for Morocco, captain Achraf Hakimi suspended two official matches, “with one of these matches suspended for a period of one year from the date of the decision, due to his unsportsmanlike behavior,” due to the incident of the Senegal goalkeeper’s towels being hidden.
His colleague, Ismail Sibari, was suspended for three official matches for unsportsmanlike behavior, and a fine of $100,000 was imposed on him.
The Moroccan Federation was fined $200,000 “due to the inappropriate behavior of the ball collectors on the field during the aforementioned match,” and $100,000 “due to the inappropriate behavior of the players and the technical staff, after they stormed the VAR review area and obstructed the referee’s work, in violation of the principles of fair play and integrity stipulated in Articles 82 and 83 of the Disciplinary Regulations.”
The final match witnessed great tension. The awarding of a penalty kick in favor of the Moroccan national team at the end of regular time, after resorting to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) immediately after canceling a goal for Senegal, led to a number of “Tiranga Lions” players leaving the field before returning at the request of their star Sadio Mane.
Tensions extended to the stands, where a number of Senegal fans tried to storm the field for nearly 15 minutes, even while Ibrahim Dias was preparing to take the penalty kick, which he missed in the end. In extra time, Pape Gui scored the winning goal for Senegal with a missile shot.
18 Senegalese fans who were arrested for “rioting” during the match are being tried, and their next trial session will be held on January 29.