On the 18th of January 2026 AFCON host Morocco played Senegal in the finals which were held in the capital Rabat which ended in controversy all around.
During the AFCON final, Senegal’s Abdoulaye Seck’s header came crashing off the woodwork before being headed into the net by Ismaila Sarr. However referee Jean Jacques Ndala had already blown his whistle, awarding a very soft foul for contact between Seck and Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi.
This caused drama; however more was yet to come in the final minutes of injury time.
After eight minutes of extra-time was added, Congolese referee Ndala was advised to review a soft tug by defender El Hadji Malick Diouf on AFCON Top scorer Brahim Diaz from a corner, with the Congolese deciding to award the spot kick.
Senegalese players, fans and coaching staff begun to kick off and the chaos would spill onto the pitch.
Morocco’s coach Walid Regragui and Senegal coach Pape Thiaw had a head-to-head before Thiaw controversially called for his players to leave the pitch and enter the dressing room.
Play would be halted for at least 20 minutes before order was restored.
Senegalese talisman Sadio Mane would encourage everyone to come back onto the pitch and ‘Go out like men’.
Real Madrid player Brahim Diaz stepped up to take the penalty and attempted a woeful Panenka penalty which is likely to haunt him for the entirety of his career.
Villareal midfield man Gueye burst forward with an incredible run from the half-way line and would shrug off a weak challenge from Hakimi just outside the box and smashed a left-foot screamer into the top right-hand corner, clipping the underside of the bar as it went in.
Will either Senegal or Pape Thiaw be suspended from the World Cup?
In a statement, CAF’s disciplinary committee said protests and walk-offs, regardless of refereeing decisions, are unacceptable at any level of professional football.
“Such actions undermine the values of fair play and the integrity of CAF competitions,” the committee said.
Thiaw later admitted he acted out of anger, expressing regret and acknowledging that emotions got the better of him during the high-stakes finale.
It is reported that Thiaw is likely to receive a heavy penalty for his actions.
Should a harsh penalty be imposed by CAF, Pape Thiaw may miss the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
CAF has referred the matter to its Ethics and Disciplinary Committee for final action.
Morocco’s stance:
Morocco’s football federation has announced it will pursue legal action as they believe the delay caused by Senegal’s walkout had a material impact on the result.
“The Royal Moroccan Football Federation announces that it will pursue legal action with the Confederation of African Football [Caf] and Fifa to rule on the walk-off of the Senegalese national team from the field during the final against the Moroccan national team, as well as on the events surrounding this decision, following the referee’s awarding of a penalty that was deemed correct by all experts,” a statement read. “This situation had a significant impact on the normal course of the match and on the players’ performance.”
Walid Regragui, criticised Thiaw for leading Senegal’s walk-off, saying: “The image we’ve given of Africa is shameful.”
Thiaw later apologised after the game. “After reflecting on it, I made them come back – you can react in the heat of the moment,” he told beIN Sports. “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.”
Morocco are accused of aiming to get unfair advantages in the Tournament. Multiple videos of stadium officials and ballboys trying to wrestle a towel from the Senegal’s reserve goalkeeper Yehvan Diouf that he was trying to give to Édouard Mendy in wet conditions.
Stadium officials and ballboys also did the same to Nigeria Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabili in their Semi-final match that saw the Super Eagles lose on penalties after a Nil-Nil draw in extra-time.
Moroccan substitute Ismael Saibari was also seen attempting to take the towel as well.
