The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) announced Tuesday that it would appeal the sanctions imposed by the African Confederation following the incidents which marked the final of the 2025 African Cup of Nations won by Senegal against Morocco.
Senegal won 1-0 after extra time at the end of a chaotic match punctuated by incidents on January 18 in Rabat. 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 finally 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.
Effective date for CAN 2027 qualifying
In a press release, the FRMF considered on Tuesday that the sanctions against it were “inconsistent” with “the scale and seriousness of the incidents that occurred”, announcing that it wanted to appeal. The FRMF was fined 200,000 dollars (167,000 euros) for the behavior of the ball boys for stealing the Senegalese goalkeeper’s towel, as well as an additional 100,000 dollars (84,700 euros) for the inappropriate attitude of players and staff members, accused of having invaded the VAR examination area and obstructing the referee’s work.
Added to this is 15,000 dollars (around 12,700 euros) for the use of lasers by supporters. On an individual level, PSG defender Achraf Hakimi was suspended for two matches, one of which was closed, while midfielder Ismaël Saibari (PSV Eindhoven) was sentenced to a three-match suspension.
These sanctions, which only apply to competitions organized by the African Confederation, must take effect from the qualifying campaign for the next African Cup of Nations, scheduled for 2027.
The Senegalese Football Federation was fined a total of $615,000 (approximately 513,000 euros). Its coach Pape Thiaw received a five-match suspension accompanied by a fine of 100,000 dollars (83,500 euros), while attackers Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr, who play in the Premier League, were suspended for two matches.
