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The controversy surrounding the AFCON final is far from over. A month after Senegal’s 1–0 victory over Morocco after extra time in Rabat, new revelations have reignited debate over the refereeing and the disciplinary handling of the match.
During the executive committee meeting of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), held Friday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the refereeing of the final reportedly triggered heated discussions. According to Qatari outlet Winwin, Olivier Safari, president of CAF’s referees committee, allegedly acknowledged that instructions had been given not to penalize Senegalese players who left the pitch at the end of regulation time.
The incident remains one of the most controversial moments of the match. Angered by a disallowed goal following a foul deemed questionable on Achraf Hakimi, and later by the awarding of a penalty to Morocco, several Senegalese players—reportedly encouraged by their coach Pape Thiaw, walked off the field and headed to the locker room. The game was suspended for 16 minutes in an already tense atmosphere, further marred by incidents in the stands.
According to statements attributed to Safari, each player who left the field should have been shown a yellow card upon returning. However, referees were allegedly instructed not to strictly apply the rules in order to avoid a premature end to the match. The reported directive has raised concerns about the independence and consistency of refereeing at a major African football event.
At the end of January, CAF nonetheless handed down what many described as relatively lenient sanctions: a $615,000 fine for the Senegalese federation, a five-match suspension for Pape Thiaw, and two-match bans for Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr.
