Like millions of viewers, Thierry Henry was surprised by the spectacle of the 2025 African Cup of Nations final. While Morocco had obtained a penalty in the final moments of regulation time, just after the cancellation of a Senegal goal, the Lions of Teranga left the field to protest. They finally came back, Brahim Diaz missed his penalty, and the Senegalese won.
Since Sunday, this Hollywood scenario has been talked about a lot. The Moroccan Federation even filed an appeal before the Confederation of African Football and Fifa to examine this crucial moment of the final. Sanctions could occur.
This Tuesday evening, on the CBS Sports channel for which he is a Champions League consultant, Thierry Henry gave his point of view. And he did not appreciate the Senegalese leaving the field. “What you saw, the reaction of the Senegal team leaving the field, it was not the right one. This is not the image of football you want to give. Neither African football, nor any other football,” he said.
“The referees are not up to the task”
The French football star, however, does not want to remember that in this 2025 African Cup of Nations. “It is very important for me to come back to one point: you do not want to see that. You don’t want to see a team leave the field. Do I understand their frustration? Yes. But how to express it? No. And for me, that will not define the course of this competition,” he judged.
To explain Senegal’s reaction, Thierry Henry has his opinion. “What I can say, having watched the CAN for a very long time, is that the referees are not up to the task of the event,” he said. Everything that happens in these tournaments is sometimes the consequence of refereeing errors. And I don’t blame the referees: I’m talking about those who don’t train them to the level of football we watch. »
