Moroccan police arrested 18 Senegalese fans and one Algerian fan this Sunday on suspicion of involvement in acts of hooliganism during the final of the African Cup of Nations between Senegal and Morocco, a judicial source told AFP on Monday.
The 18 Senegalese were placed in police custody on instructions from the prosecutor’s office of the Rabat court of first instance “in order to hear them about acts of hooliganism committed” inside the stadium, said the source, on condition of anonymity. The Algerian supporter, also placed in police custody, is suspected of “incitement to hooliganism”.
A few minutes before the end of regulation time of the match, won 1-0 by Senegal against Morocco, nearly a thousand Senegalese supporters tried to invade the pitch for almost 15 minutes, before being difficult to control by the police and stewards. Several Senegalese supporters threw projectiles towards the pitch, including at least one chair.
Shortly before, the players and their coach had left the field to protest against the award of a penalty to Morocco in the final seconds of added time. Overcome by this intense tension, the supporters tried to enter the pitch while Brahim Diaz was preparing to take his penalty, which he finally missed after the return of the Senegalese players, convinced by their star Sadio Mané. At the start of extra time, Senegal scored their winning goal.
At the beginning of January, the Moroccan prosecutor’s office, which had installed offices in all stadiums hosting matches, announced the processing of 152 offenses between December 21, start of the CAN, and January 6. With 61 cases recorded, fraudulent access or attempted access to stadiums was the offense most frequently noted by the prosecution. Next came the sale of tickets at an illegal price or without authorization (19 cases).
