Football’s world governing body, FIFA, and the Confederation of African Football have condemned the “unacceptable behaviour” that disrupted Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat, with CAF confirming that disciplinary action will be taken against those found culpable.
The AFCON final between hosts Morocco and Senegal descended into chaos late in normal time after referee Jean Jacques Mdala awarded Morocco a penalty following a VAR review for a challenge on Brahim Diaz, with the score still level at 0-0.
The decision sparked strong protests from Senegal, with most of their players leaving the pitch, while clashes erupted in the stands involving some Senegalese supporters and Moroccan security officials.
In a statement released on Monday, CAF denounced the conduct of certain players and officials but did not apportion blame to either side. The continental body said it was reviewing all available footage before referring the matter to its disciplinary organs.
“The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) condemns the unacceptable behaviour from some players and officials during the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night,” CAF said.
“CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organizers.
“CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty.”
Following intervention from former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, one of the few Senegal players who initially remained on the pitch, the players returned and the match resumed. Senegal later went on to secure the title through a superb extra-time goal by Pape Gueye, silencing much of the crowd of 66,526 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino also criticised the scenes, describing them as unacceptable and damaging to the image of the sport. He condemned both the act of leaving the field of play and the violence involving supporters.
“We strongly condemn the behaviour of some ‘supporters’ as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members. It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner,” Infantino said.
“It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right.”
Infantino, while praising Morocco for hosting “a fantastic tournament,” stressed the importance of respecting match officials’ decisions.
“We must always respect the decisions taken by the match officials on and off the field of play,” he said.
“Teams must compete on the pitch and within the Laws of the Game, because anything less puts the very essence of football at risk.”
He added that such incidents send the wrong message to fans worldwide and urged teams and players to act responsibly.
“It is also the responsibility of teams and players to act responsibly and set the right example for fans in the stadiums and millions watching around the world,” Infantino said.
“The ugly scenes witnessed today must be condemned and never repeated. I reiterated that they have no place in football and I expect that the relevant disciplinary bodies at CAF will take the appropriate measures.”
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw later admitted that instructing his players to walk off the pitch was a mistake, offering an apology during an interview with beIN Sports.
“After thinking about it, I realised that I shouldn’t have asked them to go off. I apologise for that,” Thiaw said.
“Sometimes you can react in the heat of the moment. Before that we scored a goal that was not given. But now we accept that referees do make mistakes and we apologise.”
Morocco coach Walid Regragui, however, expressed concern over the broader impact of the incident on the continent’s image.
“The image we gave of African football was rather shameful. Having to stop the game for more than 10 minutes with the world watching is not very classy,” he said.
CAF reiterated that investigations are ongoing and that sanctions will be announced once the disciplinary process is concluded.
What you should know
The AFCON 2025 final between Morocco and Senegal was overshadowed by protests, crowd unrest and a lengthy stoppage following a late VAR-awarded penalty.
Both CAF and FIFA have condemned the behaviour witnessed, stressing respect for referees and zero tolerance for violence. While Senegal eventually won the match in extra time, football authorities say disciplinary action is inevitable as investigations continue.
The incident has raised concerns about the global image of African football, especially with major international tournaments on the horizon.
