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Marrakech – Moroccan police arrested 18 Senegalese supporters and one Algerian fan following a catastrophic and shocking breakdown of sportsmanship that transformed Sunday’s AFCON 2025 final into an international disgrace, according to AFP sources.
The 18 Senegalese nationals were placed in custody on orders from the Rabat First Instance Court prosecutor “to be questioned about acts of hooliganism committed” inside the stadium, a judicial source confirmed Monday. The Algerian supporter faces charges of “inciting hooliganism.”
The mayhem erupted minutes before full-time in the match Senegal won 1-0 through Pape Gueye’s goal. What was meant to be African football’s crowning moment devolved into unruly scenes when Senegalese coach Pape Thiaw orchestrated an unprecedented act of sporting sabotage.
Despite the penalty being deemed lawful and correct by all experts, Thiaw brazenly led his players off the field in a calculated act of defiance that would unleash chaos upon Morocco’s world-renowned tournament. As Brahim Díaz readied himself for the spot-kick, Senegal’s bench joined the walkout.
The malevolent seeds sown by Thiaw’s reckless abandonment bore bitter fruit as hundreds of his compatriots descended into hooliganism. For nearly 17 minutes, these marauding supporters attempted to storm the pitch with the ferocity of vandals bent on destruction.
Broadcast images captured the ghastly spectacle of Teranga Lions supporters violently breaching security cordons, their rampage forcing emergency intervention as they launched vicious assaults on Moroccan organizers.
The depravity reached its nadir when a Moroccan steward was evacuated on a stretcher, his jaw torn off after being struck with a ventilator by these rampaging zealots.
These wretched scenes, choreographed by Thiaw’s initial mutiny, saw Senegalese supporters hurl projectiles, including chairs, onto the sacred turf while attempting their unlawful pitch invasion.
The tournament, designed to showcase Morocco’s organizational excellence ahead of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup, was desecrated by this egregious display of violence by some Senegalese fans.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemned the scenes as “unacceptable” on his Instagram account. “The ugly scenes witnessed Sunday must be condemned and never repeated,” Infantino wrote, demanding CAF take “appropriate measures.”
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) announced Monday it will file complaints with both FIFA and CAF over Senegal’s withdrawal from the field and the accompanying violence that “disrupted the normal course of the match.”
CAF issued its own condemnation, describing the incidents as “unacceptable behavior” and promising to review footage before referring matters to disciplinary bodies. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw faces severe sanctions for leading his players off the pitch.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui called the incidents a “shameful” image of African football. After the extended debacle caused by Senegalese fans’ misconduct, Díaz missed his penalty before Senegal ironically claimed victory in extra time.
Moroccan prosecutors had already processed 152 infractions during the tournament’s early stages, with fraudulent stadium access being the most common violation at 61 cases, followed by illegal ticket sales.
What should have been remembered as Morocco’s finest organizational triumph will now be forever tainted by the Senegalese delegation’s descent into sporting thuggery. The world will not recall the pristine stadiums or flawless logistics, but rather the grotesque spectacle of a tournament hijacked by those who chose chaos over competition, violence over virtue.
This was not merely poor sportsmanship – it was the systematic destruction of African football’s reputation on its grandest stage.
Read also: What Lessons Can We Draw from AFCON 2025?
