The 2025 African Cup of Nations tournament was concluded on Sunday night with a chaotic ending to the final match between Senegal and Morocco, SportPremi reports.
The drama enfolded after the referee awarded the hosts a penalty in the closing stages of the game after a review on the monitor.
Brahim Diaz went down easily after a tangle in the box and while the referee initially ignored shouts for a foul, he succumbed to the shouts from the Moroccans and went to his pitch side monitor, before awarding the spot-kick.
Read this: What you might have missed at AFCON 2025
The decision infuriated Senegal who had a goal disallowed for a foul on Achraf Hakimi few minutes before that. A melee ensued on the pitch and also on the touchline, with both sets of teams going at each other.
The supporters were not left out as several of them clashed in the standings and also challenged stewards and security.
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw signaled to his players to walk off the pitch, before they eventually returned for the game to continue.
Diaz missed the subsequent penalty, before the Lions of Teranga clinched victory with an extra-time goal by Pape Gueye.
CAF condemns chaotic ending to AFCON 2025
In a statement released, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) condemned the incident that happened in the final and promised disciplinary action against the guilty parties.
“The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) condemns the unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night”, the statement read.
“CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organizers.
“CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty.”
Walid Regragui blasts Senegal’s walk-off
Meanwhile, Morocco head coach Walid Regragui criticized Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw’s behavior for telling his players to walk off the field in protest against the penalty decision.
“The image we’ve given of Africa is shameful. A coach who asks his players to leave the field…what Pape did does not honour Africa.
Thiaw wasn’t classy. But he is a champion, so he can say whatever he wants. We stopped the match in the eyes of the world for 10 minutes.”
Pape Thiaw apologizes for AFCON 2025 final behavior
The Senegal head coach, who faces a potential ban from CAF, was apologetic about his behavior during the match.
“I don’t want to go over all the incidents. I apologise for the football,” he revealed.
“After reflecting on it, I made them come back [on the pitch] – you can react in the heat of the moment.
“We accept the errors of the referee. We shouldn’t have done it, but it’s done and now we present our apologies to football.”
Mane reacts to AFCON 2025 final chaos
Sadio Mane, who was awarded player of the tournament, was very influential in getting the Senegal team back onto the pitch to conclude the match.
The former Liverpool star was unhappy with the behavior, but believed his side deserved the victory.
”It would have been really a shame and sad to see this kind of thing, this kind of scenario happen. Imagine, just imagine for a second, going into the locker rooms and the football match stopped there. I think that would convey a negative image of our football; I think Africa today does not deserve that.
“African football has evolved in an incredible way and the proof is that it is followed all over the world. So, on my side, I did what I had to do, after I think we also had a bit of luck to have a goalkeeper like Edouard Mendy, who saved us once again, so, I think otherwise overall in the match, Senegal deserved to win.”
