Softfootball understands that the 2025 AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco will be remembered for drama, controversy, and a defining moment of leadership. Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 in extra time, with Idrissa Gueye scoring the decisive goal. However, the match almost spiralled into chaos before extra time.
Morocco was awarded a penalty late in regulation, and Senegal’s head coach and several players briefly left the pitch, feeling the refereeing decisions were unfair. It was only thanks to Sadio Mane’s calm intervention that the team returned to continue the game.
Brahim Diaz, stepping up for Morocco, attempted a Panenka, but Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy saved it, further fuelling debate online. Diaz later shared an emotional apology to Moroccan supporters, which generated widespread reactions on social media.
In a recent podcast episode shared by Rio Meets Podcast via their official X account, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and Joey Baya discussed the events, emphasising Sadio Mane’s role in preserving the integrity of African football.
Watch the video below:
Joey Baya asked:
Have you ever seen anything like that in football? Yes or no?
Ferdinand responded, highlighting how a player’s leadership can influence both the outcome of a game and the reputation of a continent’s football.
He said:
Not a game of that magnitude, not a game of that size, a final, an AFCON final. African football was at risk. African football’s credibility was at risk the moment the Senegal team went down that tunnel. Whether they were right or wrong in their beliefs, they thought they were being cheated or whatever, right? To walk off a pitch like that based on a decision that’s being made ain’t going to look right. But Sadio Mane saved African football. Not Senegalese football, he saved African football because he went and got his team down from out of that tunnel and said, listen guys, what we’re not lose, you’ve to come out and play, man. I liked Sadio Mane before. We had him on a Rio Meats episode. If you haven’t seen it, go and watch it. I liked him. This load here at the Afcon has made me just absolutely love him because he’s as a human and as a footballer.
Ferdinand’s comment framed Mané not just as a top-class player but as a leader who prevented a potential scandal that could have tainted African football’s reputation. Meanwhile, the game itself remained a landmark for Senegal, who lifted the AFCON trophy, and a moment of reflection for Morocco and Brahim Diaz.
