chargement...
The legal saga surrounding the 18 Senegalese fans arrested after the violence that erupted during the AFCON 2025 final in Rabat has become a web of conflicting narratives.
In early February, Patrick Kabou, the lawyer for these fans facing charges of hooliganism for attempting to storm the pitch, assaults, and throwing objects, informed AFP that his clients had initiated a hunger strike. They were protesting what they saw as a violation of their right to a fair trial and the absence of an interpreter during interrogations.
The following day, the King’s prosecutor in Rabat refuted this claim, stating unequivocally that the detainees were not on a hunger strike. He maintained that they were receiving regular meals, that interrogations had been conducted with an interpreter present, and that the allegations were baseless.
In light of this official denial, the lawyer adjusted his statement: what was initially described as a hunger strike was, in fact, intermittent fasting, with the fans «only having breakfast» and spending the rest of their day in prayer and reflection.
This semantic twist approaches the absurd, turning a protest into what resembles a wellness routine. The defense’s strategy for the fans failed to achieve its intended impact after the Moroccan judiciary’s firm rebuttal.
