FIFA President Gianni Infantino has criticised the conduct of “some Senegal players” following what he described as “unacceptable scenes” that overshadowed their victory in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco.
In a statement sent to AFP, Infantino condemned the decision by several Senegalese players and members of the technical staff to walk off the pitch in protest after a penalty was awarded to Morocco late in the game. “It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner,” he said, adding that violence and disorder have no place in football.
The AFCON final was disrupted deep into injury time with the score level at 0-0 when Morocco were awarded a penalty after a VAR review for a challenge on Brahim Díaz. Most of the Senegal squad left the pitch in protest, having already been angered by a goal disallowed moments earlier for what appeared to be a soft foul.
Former Liverpool star Sadio Mané stayed on the field and was seen urging his teammates to return for the penalty. The delay lasted almost 20 minutes, during which tensions also spilled into the stands as some Senegalese supporters attempted to enter the pitch and clashed with security personnel.
When play eventually resumed, Díaz’s attempted panenka penalty was saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Pape Gueye then scored a decisive goal in the fourth minute of extra time to secure a 1-0 victory for Senegal.
While congratulating Morocco on what he called “a fantastic tournament” as both runners-up and hosts—particularly significant ahead of their role as co-hosts of the 2030 men’s World Cup—Infantino stressed that teams must respect the decisions of match officials.
“We must always respect the decisions taken by the match officials on and off the field of play,” he said. “Anything less puts the very essence of football at risk.”
ToInfantino also warned that the scenes sent the wrong message to fans around the world, especially with this year’s World Cup set to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. He called on CAF’s disciplinary bodies to take appropriate action, stating that such behaviour “must be condemned and never repeated.”
