The AFCON 2025 final, played on Sunday, 18 January 2026, between Senegal and host nation Morocco, was overshadowed by controversy following a dramatic late penalty decision.
Softfootball gathered, The flashpoint came in the 90+7 minute, when the referee awarded a penalty to Morocco during added time. The decision was immediately rejected by Senegal’s players and officials, who believed the call was unjust, especially after feeling a Senegal goal moments earlier had been wrongly disallowed.
In the heat of the moment, Senegal’s head coach instructed his players to leave the pitch, leading to scenes of confusion and tension around the 101st minute, with the final briefly on the brink of collapse.
Explaining the incident afterward, the Senegal coach said:
“Quite simply, because we did not agree with the decision. I don’t want to dwell too much on that specific moment of the match, but after reflecting on it, I didn’t like how I acted.
In a moment of anger, I told the players to leave the pitch, and I apologize to the world of football for that. Once I calmed down and thought it over, I asked them to return to the field, and we all saw what happened after that.”
When further asked whether he considered instructing the players to leave as a mistake, he responded:
“Yes. Sometimes we act out of nerves because we were questioning: was the penalty even valid? Especially since we had scored a goal just before that wasn’t counted.
However, we accept the referee’s mistakes, as that is part of football. We aren’t making excuses; ultimately, we have offered our apologies to the game.”
As the standoff continued, Senegal captain Sadio Mané stepped in. Around the 107th minute, he was seen urging his teammates to return to the pitch, shouting:
“HEY, COME BACK! WE ARE GOING TO PLAY LIKE MEN!”
Play eventually resumed, and in the 113th minute, Morocco’s Brahim Díaz stepped up to take the penalty. Attempting a Panenka, he missed, drawing loud reactions across the stadium.
The episode sparked widespread debate, with many praising Mané’s leadership and questioning the officiating. For Senegal, the missed penalty was seen as poetic justice in what remains one of the most chaotic and controversial AFCON finals in history.
