The Senegalese Head Coach in the just concluded 2025 AFCON in Morocco, Pape Thiaw, has been widely criticized to have instructed his players to leave the stadium during such a crucial final – a decision described as impulsive, irrational, unprofessional, unfair and damaging to the image of AFCON.
It is in the records that AFCON remains one of the best football competitions among the top tournaments in the world. Unfortunately, what happened in the final showed a lack of proper management and professionalism, which brought the competition to disrepute.
Thiaw instructed a walk-off of his players after a perceived wrong call for penalty against Senegal by the centre referee after VAR check. Brahim Diaz of Morroco stepped forward for the penalty after normalcy, but missed it.
Thiaw admitted he made a mistake during the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 final in Rabat, when he asked his players to leave the pitch after Morocco were awarded a late VAR-verified penalty.
The incident caused a long delay and overshadowed what became Senegal’s 1–0 extra-time win.
Speaking at the press conference after the match, Thiaw began by praising his squad: “We must congratulate the players, because winning the title was the goal we wanted to reach, especially this year.” Thiaw admitted.
Reflecting on the chaotic moment, Thiaw admitted regret: “After thinking it over, I apologize for asking the players to leave the pitch.”
He explained that emotions ran high after Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty for a foul on Brahim Diaz, who later missed the chance. “Sometimes you can react too strongly. We questioned whether the penalty was really correct, and before that we had scored a goal that was not counted.” The coach added that he still disagreed with the call, “But now we accept the referee’s mistakes.”
Thiaw closed his remarks with a broader apology: “We should not have done that (threatening to withdraw), but we now apologize to football.”
The disquiet added to the tension of a final already marked by drama and controversy After a 10-minute delay due to the Senegalese team’s chaotic scenes, the game continued. Morocco missed the penalty, and Senegal went on to secure the title with Pape Gueye’s extra-time strike.
