The situation escalated to the point of physical confrontations between Senegalese and Moroccan players when substitute goalkeeper Diouf protected Mendy’s towel.
#AFCON_2025 #Morocco #Senegal #NgamboNdala #CAF #FIFA #corruption #bribery
The two refereeing decisions by official Ngambo Ndala favored Morocco, but Senegal stood firm after threatening to leave the pitch and won an incredible match.
By Albert Ortega
Morocco had prepared a celebration in Rabat, and the Africa Cup final ended in drama. The Maghreb country, host of the continental competition, was at the center of one of the biggest scandals in world football. Walid Regragui’s team lost the final to Senegal after extra time (1–0, goal by Gueye), after the sub-Saharan players threatened to leave the field due to disgraceful refereeing. Everything happened in stoppage time, adding fuel to the fire.
In the 92nd minute, referee Jean-Jacques Ngambo Ndala, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, disallowed a goal by Senegal’s Seck for a non-existent foul on Achraf Hakimi, who went down after feeling a slight contact. The Congolese referee’s decision kept Morocco alive, but the controversy did not end there. Just three minutes later, when extra time was already looming, Diouf lightly grabbed Brahim Díaz in the heart of the penalty area. The contact was trivial, and the Real Madrid player, trying to bring victory closer to his team as he had done throughout the tournament, went to the ground. The referee consulted VAR for several minutes that felt like an eternity before awarding a penalty.
The referee made mistakes in Morocco’s favor
The reaction of the Senegalese team was to leave the field in protest against the refereeing decisions. Head coach Pape Thiaw ordered his players to walk off after that penalty. Only one Senegalese player—the most important one—prevented Senegal from abandoning the Rabat stadium. “Let’s play like men,” said the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich player. His influence within the squad led the sub-Saharan team to change their minds and return to the pitch to experience a few final dramatic minutes. Had they not done so, Senegal would have lost the final and risked missing out on the World Cup.
Brahim Díaz, Morocco’s star player and the tournament’s top scorer, took the penalty with a Panenka, but Mendy saved it.
That decision led the Royal Moroccan Football Federation to announce that it would take legal action before CAF and FIFA over the temporary withdrawal of the Senegal national team during the AFCON 2025 final against Morocco. The Moroccans believe that the match should not have continued as if nothing had happened.
It was not the first time refereeing controversy had surrounded a Morocco match, as had already occurred in the quarterfinals against Cameroon and in the semifinals against Algeria. “Let’s stop everything and just give them the cup [to the Moroccans],” journalist Grégory Schneider commented on a television program on L’Équipe. Nevertheless, Senegal overcame all the refereeing decisions to win the tournament.
Morocco’s tricks
The Senegalese players did not celebrate the achievement, but they forced extra time. In the 94th minute, Pape Gueye, a Villarreal player, scored the goal that decided the final. Senegal won one of the most incredible matches of recent decades. Shortly afterward, images began to emerge showing Morocco’s ploys to try to win the final, such as attempts by ball boys, stadium security staff, and Achraf Hakimi (among others) to prevent goalkeeper Mendy from drying his gloves with his towel.
The situation escalated to the point of physical confrontations between Senegalese and Moroccan players when substitute goalkeeper Diouf protected Mendy’s towel. In this regard, it is worth recalling that ahead of the final, Senegal had complained about the accommodation, security, and transport conditions provided by Morocco. The sub-Saharan federation filed a formal complaint with the African governing body.
“The FSF denounces the clear absence of adequate security measures upon our team’s arrival at Rabat railway station. This shortcoming exposed the players and coaching staff to close contact with local supporters, which falls far short of the standards required for a competition of this magnitude and a continental final,” the federation stated. “As for hotel logistics, the FSF reports that it lodged an official protest. Following this action, a five-star hotel was finally allocated to our team, guaranteeing the conditions necessary to stage the final,” they explained in a statement, implying that the initial situation did not meet the requirements for an event of this level.
To cap off the scandal, the Senegal head coach was unable to hold the post-match press conference due to a boycott by several Moroccan journalists. Senegalese journalists also experienced confrontations in the stands and in the press room, as had already happened during the match against Algeria, and the Senegal coach again could not give his press conference. Senegal denounced all of these behaviors in a strongly worded statement. Despite everything that occurred, the Confederation of African Football awarded the Fair Play prize to Morocco, co-host of the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
