The situation does not calm down. The 18 Senegalese fans detained and undergoing trial in Morocco after incidents during the final of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in mid-January declared themselves on hunger strike on Friday, according to a message sent to AFP by their lawyer.
They indicated that they had been waiting “since January 18 to know what they are accused of”, complaining of having been questioned by the police “in French and Arabic” while they only understand “Wolof”, according to this text sent to their lawyer Patrick Kabou. They ask that “at least” we “listen to (their) version of the facts”.
“Given that they deny us our right to justice, we have decided from today (Friday) to begin a continuous fast in prayer and meditation, until the day when Moroccan justice will give us the chance to express ourselves,” they said.
Prosecuted for “hooliganism”
These supporters are being prosecuted for “hooliganism”, an accusation including acts of violence in particular against the police, the damage to sports equipment as well as the throwing of projectiles.
A first hearing of their trial at the end of January was postponed at the request of the defense and the civil party to have more time to prepare the files. Another was held briefly on Thursday during which their requests for parole were rejected. The rest of the trial was postponed until February 12 due to a lawyers’ strike in Morocco.
On January 18, during the CAN final in Rabat, Senegal won 1-0 after extra time at the end of a chaotic match punctuated by incidents. A penalty awarded to the host country in added time of the second half, after consulting the video referee, just after a disallowed goal in Senegal, led to the departure from the field of some of the Senegalese players encouraged by their coach, Pape Thiaw. They returned at the request of team star Sadio Mané.
Tensions spread to the stands where Senegalese supporters tried to invade the pitch for nearly 15 minutes, even when Moroccan player Brahim Diaz was preparing to take his penalty, which he missed.
At the end of January, CAF imposed a series of disciplinary sanctions on the two federations for unsporting behavior and violations of the principles of fair play.
