Rabat – Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui expressed disappointment with the behavior of Senegal’s coach, Pape Thiaw, during the AFCON 2025 final in Rabat.
The match, already tense, was disrupted when Senegal’s players briefly left the pitch after Morocco were awarded a late penalty through VAR.
Regragui described the incident as damaging to the image of African football. “I think there was too much time wasted before the penalty was taken, and that must have unsettled Diaz,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“The picture we gave of Africa was a little shameful. The coach asked his players to leave the field. It had already started from the press conference before the match.”
The Moroccan coach stressed the importance of dignity in both victory and defeat. “As I said, in the end, we must always keep our composure, whether we win or lose. What Pape did tonight does not honor Africa. Still, he is the champion of Africa, and he has the right to say what he wants.”
Regragui admitted the long stoppage affected his team, especially Brahim Diaz, who missed the crucial penalty. “We stopped the match in front of the whole world for at least ten minutes. That didn’t help Brahim. This is not an excuse for how he took the shot, but we cannot go back. He struck it that way. We take responsibility, especially me as coach. Now, we look forward.”
The incident added to the controversy surrounding the final, which Senegal won 1-0 in extra time. While Morocco fell short of lifting the trophy on home soil, Regragui insisted the team must learn from the experience and move forward with resilience.
