Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko called on Wednesday for appeasement after Senegal’s victory in Rabat on Sunday against Morocco (1-0), host country of CAN 2025, after a chaotic final.
He also indicated in a message posted on social networks that his government was following “carefully with the accredited consular and diplomatic authorities and the Moroccan authorities, the situation of the supporters arrested in Rabat as well as that of compatriots living in Morocco”.
Eighteen Senegalese were arrested by the Moroccan police and then placed in police custody on suspicion of involvement in acts of hooliganism during the final, we learned on Monday from a Moroccan judicial source.
Tense exchanges also broke out between Moroccan and Senegalese supporters, particularly on social networks.
In this context, the Senegalese Prime Minister indicated that he spoke “at length” on the telephone with his Moroccan counterpart, Aziz Akhannouch.
On social networks, tense exchanges broke out between Moroccan and Senegalese supporters
“We have agreed, together, under the high instructions of King Mohammed VI and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to continue working, in a spirit of appeasement, serenity and relaxation, to consolidate the centuries-old and very deep ties that unite our two countries,” he wrote in a publication Wednesday evening on his Facebook page.
He called for “caution” in the face of information flows, particularly on social networks, which, according to him, are for the most part “disinformation”.
“We therefore call on our respective compatriots and all friends to dispassionate this episode which, in no case, can go beyond the simple sporting framework,” he added.
A few minutes before the end of regulation time in the final, marked by a sea of confusion, nearly a thousand Senegalese supporters tried to invade the pitch for nearly 15 minutes.
Difficult to control by the police and stewards, they were protesting against a penalty awarded to Morocco in added time of the second half – and missed by Brahim Diaz.
Several Senegalese supporters threw projectiles towards the pitch, including at least one chair.
Senegal and Morocco have long maintained relations of friendship and cooperation in several sectors, notably tourism, energy, training and infrastructure. The two countries also share very strong religious ties.
