CAN 2025: Player Suspensions & The Final Risk

CAN 2025: Player Suspensions & The Final Risk

by

All the supporters of the Lions of Teranga feared him. When Pierre Atcho, the referee responsible for directing the first semi-final of the CAN 2025 between Senegal and Egypt, put his hand in his pocket to draw a yellow card against Kalidou Koulibaly, author of a foul on Omar Marmoush in the 17th minute, the Senegalese followers immediately understood: they will not be able to count on their captain in the final on Sunday January 18.

The reason? The 34-year-old central defender was part of the – very – long list of players under threat of suspension in the event of another yellow card during this last four clash. In addition to Koulibaly, six other Lions risked seeing the ax fall (Jakobs, Jackson, P. Gueye, H. Diarra, H. Diallo, I. Mbaye). On the Egyptian side, the Sword of Damocles hovered over the heads of M. El-Shenawy, Rabia, Attia, H. Fathi, Fatouh and Abdelmaguid.

20 players threatened with suspension

A total of thirteen players for the Senegal-Egypt match alone, therefore, to which must be added the seven elements suspended during the second semi-final between Nigeria (Nwabali, Simon, Onyeka, Bassey) and Morocco (El-Khannouss, Rahimi, Saibari) to bring the total to twenty players threatened.

How to explain such a volume? Quite simply because the CAN regulations provide that players warned twice between the round of 16, quarters and semis are suspended for the final.

Yellow cards have already been updated at the end of the group stage, which differs from the regulations in force in most continental or international competitions, such as the Champions League, the Euro or the World Cup. In these tournaments, the counters are reset to zero after the quarter-finals, thereby reducing the risk of suspension for the final match.

Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.

Related Articles

Leave a Comment