Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has been banned for five Confederation of African Football (CAF) matches and fined $100,000 following the chaotic scenes at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against Morocco
this month, announced on Thursday.
A CAF statement revealed the coach was guilty of “unsporting conduct” and “bringing the game into disrepute” during the final in Rabat on January 18, which Senegal won 1-0 after extra time.
TV coverage of the final showed Thiaw gesturing towards his players when Morocco were awarded a penalty in added time of normal play. This action was widely interpreted as him telling his team to leave the field.
Senegalese forwards Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr, who play in the English Premier League, received two-match bans for “unsporting behaviour towards the referee”.
The Senegal Football Federation (FSF) was fined a total of $615,000 for various offences during the final, including the “unsporting conduct of their players and technical staff in violation of the CAF disciplinary code principles of fair play, loyalty and integrity”.
For “unsporting behaviour”, Moroccan forward Ismael Saibari was handed a three-match ban and a fine of $100,000, while captain and defender Achraf Hakimi was suspended for two matches.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) was fined $200,000 for the “inappropriate behaviour of the stadium ball boys”.
An additional fine of $100,000 was imposed for the “improper conduct” of players and technical staff who invaded the VAR review area and obstructed the work of the Congolese referee. There was also a $15,000 fine after Moroccan supporters used lasers to distract Senegalese players, bringing the total to $315,000.
The AFCON final took a series of dramatic turns late in regular time when a Sarr goal was disallowed for a foul on 2025 African player of the year Hakimi. Morocco were then awarded a penalty when star forward Brahim Diaz was fouled, sparking furious Senegalese protests.
TV images showed Thiaw gesturing toward his players, and most of the team walked off and went to the changing room. However, star forward Sadio Mane did not follow them and later persuaded his teammates to return to the pitch so that play could resume.
Morocco missed the long-delayed penalty with a weak shot from Diaz saved by Edouard Mendy. The match then went to extra time, and Pape Gueye scored to give Senegal a second AFCON title.
While play was halted over the disputed penalty, some supporters wearing Senegalese colours threw projectiles, and others temporarily invaded the pitch before police and security staff intervened.
The bans of Thiaw and the four players relate to CAF matches and will not affect preparations by Senegal and Morocco for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Senegal are in Group I with France, Norway, and the winners of inter-continental play-offs involving Bolivia, Suriname, and Iraq. Morocco, who in 2022 became the first African or Arab country to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup, will face Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti in Group C.
Thiaw will be barred from the dugout for five of the six 2027 AFCON qualifying matches involving Senegal in September, October, and November. The players will miss the first two qualifiers.
