CAN 2025: “It is wrong to think that Senegal could lose the cup,” Makhtar Diop

Like the entire football world, Senegal is anxiously awaiting the sanction it will face. Winners of AFCON 2025, the Lions of Teranga are expected to be heavily punished by CAF following the incidents that occurred during the final against Morocco (1-0). The decisive moment came when the match referee, Jean-Jacques Ndala, controversially awarded a penalty to the Atlas Lions for a foul on Brahim Diaz.

Ndala’s decision sparked outrage among the Senegalese players, who felt aggrieved not only by the penalty awarded, but also by his earlier decision to disallow their goal for a foul on Achraf Hakimi. Pape Thiaw’s players then chose to leave the pitch, before being persuaded to return by their teammate Sadio Mané.

An act that has visibly run up against a CAF regulation stating that any team that leaves the pitch without the referee’s consent loses the match by forfeit. With the CAF disciplinary committee’s decision expected this Tuesday, applying this rule would mean stripping the Senegalese of the trophy — an unprecedented scenario in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations.

But for Abdoulaye Makhtar Diop, it is unlikely that the African body will go to such an extreme. Speaking to RTS, the former CAF official assured that Sadio Mané and his teammates would not be stripped of the trophy over these incidents, however condemnable they may be. “It is wrong to think that Senegal could lose the cup. Only the official reports carry weight. Nothing in CAF’s regulations allows for the match to be annulled. The players and officials present on the pitch fulfilled their obligations,” the former member of FIFA’s ethics committee said reassuringly, in comments relayed by Africatopsports.

According to the Senegalese official, sanctions should be individual. Head coach Pape Thiaw and his staff could face several matches of suspension as well as financial fines. “These events stem from individual actions. Some players left the pitch out of emotion, which is understandable in the context of a final. Humility and respect must come first in football. Apologies from those involved matter, especially given the emotional context of a decisive match. A suspension for the coach, accompanied by financial sanctions, is likely. The scale of the sanctions will depend on the findings of the match commissioner and the security inspectors,” he said.