In a rare apology, coming a month after the AFCON final, Sobha, president of the Mauritius FA and a member of CAF’s executive committee, told the Guardian that rules were not applied correctly and Morocco, who were the host nation, were treated unfairly.
The final played in Rabat was interrupted for over fifteen minutes, as Senegal attempted to abandon the pitch following refereeing decisions by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo.
The Atlas Lions were awarded a late penalty following a VAR review, but goalkeeper Edouard Mendy stopped Brahim Diaz’s attempted panenka kick, forcing the final beyond the 90 minutes.
Senegal were declared champions following their 1-0 win, but CAF later issued sanctions following the incidents. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw was suspended for five matches and fined USD 100,000.
Morocco were not spared as defender Achraf Hakimi was handed a two-match suspension for his unsporting behaviour, while the Federation Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) was fined USD 200,000 for the inappropriate behaviour of the stadium’s ball boys during the aforementioned match.
Morocco were further fined USD 100,000 for the improper conduct of their national team players and technical staff, who invaded the VAR review area and obstructed the referee’s work.
'We should put our ego aside'
"I want to plead with the Moroccan FA to forgive us for the injustice done to them… The rules have not been respected, as they should have been in this match… They were robbed," Sobha said as quoted by the Guardian in a statement that could ignite further debate.
"It’s clear that after the Senegalese team left the field, all the players should have been sanctioned with a yellow card."
Sobha added: "I’m not saying we should not give the trophy to the Senegalese team. What has happened has happened already.
"We can’t change it… But we should put our ego aside and agree that an injustice has been done to the Moroccan national team. Having gone through the competition rules, I’m sure my position is right," he continued.
Senegal fans detained and sentenced in Morocco
During the final, several Senegalese fans were arrested by the Moroccan authorities after they invaded the pitch when the Lions of Teranga had threatened to abandon the game.
The fans numbering 18 were sentenced and fined on Thursday, according to the responsibility determined by the legal authorities. The length of their detentions handed down by the Moroccan courts varies between three months and one year.
Nine of the supporters were sentenced to one year in prison and each required to pay a fine of 5,000 dirhams, or approximately 1,361.47 USD, while six others received six months of imprisonment and a fine of 2,000 dirhams, equivalent to 544.59 USD.
The remaining three were sentenced to three months in prison and will have to pay 1,200 dirhams, equivalent to 326.75 USD.
After the final, Morocco's wait for the AFCON trophy continued as they have now gone for 50 years without winning the title. Morocco, who debuted at the tournament in 1972, won their first and only AFCON title in 1976.
However, ever since the win, Morocco’s best performance was runners-up in 2004 and 2025. The Atlas Lions have reached the Africa Cup of Nations final three times.
