- Safiu Kehinde
The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has vowed to probe and punish players and officials found guilty of unruly behaviour during the 2025 African Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco.
NPO Reported that Senegal had on Saturday evening defeated the host nation to clinch the AFCON trophy in a final that had since been considered one of the most controversial and dramatic final in the history of the tournament.
The West African country took on the Atlas Lions at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat.
While the match had lived up to expectation as a fierce contest between to African football powerhouses, it would however end on a dramatic and controversial note following the referee’s award of a penalty to Morocco in the 98th minutes after Real Madrid forward was pulled by Senegalese defender during a corner kick build-up.
This would not go down well with the Senegalese who vehemently protested against the call as the challenged the referee over his disallowance of the Teranga Lions’ goal scored barely five minutes before the controversial penalty.
Players and officials of both teams could be seen engaged in fierce exchange of words and shoving.
The drama would get to its climax as Senegal’s coach, Pape Thiaw called his players to withdraw from the pitch as they walked down the tunnel.
Not only had the controversial penalty sparked outrage on the pitch, but it also extended to the stand where fans of both teams could be seen engaging in fierce brawl, forcing the intervention of the Moroccan Police Riot Squad.
Reacting to the ugly incident in a statement issued on its official X handle on Monday, CAF strongly condemned the clash, describing it as an unacceptable behaviour.
The African football governing body disclosed that it is currently reviewing all footages recorded from the incident while vowing to punish players and officials found guilty in the incident.
The statement read; “The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) condemns the unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night.
“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.”