Last Sunday, the final of the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) took place. Before the final of the continent’s flagship competition, which is hosted by Morocco, the group stage and the knockout phase produced fascinating and mesmerising displays. The tournament has lived up to its hype and expectation, not just in terms of the organisation of the competition and the world-class infrastructure built to host it, but also in the performance of the teams and the quality of football on display.
However, the highly anticipated final between the host, Morocco, and Senegal did not turn out to be just another football match but an encounter that engendered a spectacle that stunned many around the world. What was supposed to be a pulsating, enthralling, intense and mouthwatering clash was characterised by chaos that saw pandemonium erupt among fans and players leaving the field to protest perceived injustice. The on-field and off-field incidents showed both the beautiful and ugly sides of the sport in equal measure.
Though Senegal ultimately beat Morocco One-nil to lift Africa’s most coveted football trophy, the result was overshadowed by a dramatic spectacle and eclipsed by commotion in what will likely go down as the most chaotic final in the history of the competition. With so many momentous talking points and controversies, Within Nigeria takes a look at and dissects what happened on a crazy and memorable night.
The game involved some of the best players in the world, with former Liverpool star Sadio Mané spearheading the Lions of Teranga and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Achraf Hakimi leading the Atlas Lions.
From the blast of the referee’s whistle signalling the beginning of the match, one could feel the tension surrounding the match as the atmosphere was charged and tense. This created the perfect condition for chaos and commotion that would later ensue, and matters fascinatingly came to a head in the closing stages of normal time.
While the game was delicately and beautifully poised at 0-0, Senegal scored in the second minute of added time at the end of the match after Ismaïla Sarr bundled the ball from close range. The Teranga lion thought they had won the match, but their joy was short-lived as referee Jean-Jacques Ndala ruled the goal out after he adjudged Abdoulaye Seck to have fouled Hakimi in the build-up. The decision appeared soft, and it drained the joyous emotion from the face of the Senegalese, and their happiness quickly turned to anger as everyone donning the Senegal jersey was furious, and rightly so.
While still trying to recover from the perceived injustice of their disallowed goal, the referee awarded Morocco a controversial penalty, after El Hadji Malick Diouf’s challenge on Brahim Díaz, exacerbating an already fraught situation.
Despite the referee deeming Diouf’s challenge not clumsy or reckless initially to warrant a penalty, an intervention by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), caused Ndala to change his mind and eventually pointed to the spot after reviewing the replays. It was a soft penalty, perhaps, but you could see why the official awarded it.
That decision marked a pivotal point in the match as it lit the tinderbox of defiance and the occurrence of the most flagrant act of rebellion.
The Lions of Teranga, led by head coach Pape Thiaw, were deeply incensed by the decision, and the team’s protestations spiralled onto the pitch, making it impossible for the penalty to be taken. While players, officials and coaching staff clashed on the field, a melee also broke out between a motley crowd of Senegal fans at one end of the stadium and the Moroccan fans. The Senegal fans also clashed with stewards. Police and security staff had to be brought in to address the situation and prevent the supporters from invading the pitch.
Then, in a shocking twist of events, Thiaw ordered his players to leave the field in protest of what he felt was injustice. Some players obeyed and headed into the resting room, while a few others stayed on the field to find a solution to the impasse.
Among those who stayed back was Senegalese and former Liverpool star, Sadio Mané. Mane, who had said this would be his last appearance at AFCON for the national team, was ostensibly determined to see his team finish the match and could be seen persuading his teammates to return to the pitch. After a brief chat with former Senegal player El Hadji Diouf in the stands, Mané dashed into the players’ tunnel to demand that the rest of the squad return to the pitch. Eventually, they acquiesced and play resumed after a 14-minute delay.
Penalty madness
After the melee and commotion that greeted the awarding of the penalty had subsided and play resumed, Díaz became the cynosure of all eyes after he was given the consequential and unenviable task of taking the penalty amid such a furore. As he stepped up to take the spot-kick, the forward was repeatedly heckled and taunted by the Senegalese players, and the Real Madrid star was clearly feeling the pressure.
Then, in what can only be described as a moment of madness, Díaz opted for an abysmal “Panenka” effort – a style of penalty kick where the player chips the ball gently toward the middle of the goal as the goalkeeper preemptively dives to the left or right – which saw the ball slowly find its way into the waiting hands of Édouard Mendy who chose to not to dive. The attempt was so bad that many on social media wondered whether he missed the penalty on purpose. But the look on Díaz’s face made it clear the 26-year-old had made a horrific error in judgment, which ultimately cost Morocco its first AFCON crown since 1976.
The happenings and occurrences in the final, particularly the decision of the Senegal player to stage a walkout, have drawn the most attention and sharply divided opinion. Some considered their action disgraceful, arguing that such behaviour and antics do not serve the interest of the sport on the continent or advance it in any shape or form and have only brought it into disrepute. Many hailed the action of the Senegal players, describing it as a harmless protest against injustice, an innocuous act of rebellion and resistance.
While the jury is still out there on whether the wild and disconcerting spectacle that was beamed to the rest of the world on Sunday is good for the image of Africa’s football and those in charge of it, it is quite imperative not to lose sight of the wider context and other underlying issues.
There has been a long-standing and deep-rooted distrust in African football, notably between the national football federation and also between CAF – the continent’s soccer governing body.
There was, for instance, this particular AFCON that has been dogged by widespread claims of bias and partiality. The narrative is that officials have been accommodating towards Morocco and have given them preferential and favourable treatment both on and off the pitch. The notion was given vent and credence after refereeing decisions went Morocco’s way early on in the tournament, bringing to the surface concerns that go back years.
Furthermore, in the build-up to the final itself, the Senegalese FA complained bitterly about the treatment meted out to the team after it arrived in Morocco, citing security concerns among other issues. It’s a backdrop that might go some way to explaining, but not justifying, the scenes seen in the final.
CAF was swift in denouncing the chaotic scenes during Sunday’s final, describing it as “unacceptable behaviour of players and officials”.
In a statement on Monday, it said it “strongly condemns” what occurred, notably incidents “targeting the refereeing team or match organisers.”
“CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty.”
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