FIFA President Gianni Infantino has criticised the conduct of some Senegal players, officials and supporters following the disorder that marred Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco.
In a statement sent to AFP, Infantino described the scenes as “unacceptable,” after several Senegalese players walked off the pitch in protest at a late penalty awarded to Morocco.
“We strongly condemn the behaviour of some supporters, as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members,” Infantino said. “It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner. Equally, violence has no place in our sport.”
The final, which was goalless deep into injury time, descended into controversy when Morocco were awarded a spot-kick after a VAR review for a challenge on Brahim Díaz. The decision angered Senegal’s players, most of whom left the pitch in protest.
Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mané remained on the field and appealed to his teammates to return so the match could continue.
Tensions had already been high after Senegal had a goal disallowed minutes earlier for what appeared to be a soft foul. Disorder also spread to the stands, where some Senegal supporters attempted to invade the pitch and clashed with security personnel.
The match was delayed for nearly 20 minutes before Díaz eventually took the penalty, but his attempted ‘panenka’ was saved by Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.
Senegal went on to secure victory in extra time, with Pape Gueye scoring a fine goal in the fourth minute to seal a 1–0 win.
While congratulating Morocco for hosting “a fantastic tournament” and finishing as runners-up, Infantino stressed that teams must respect match officials’ decisions.
“We must always respect the decisions taken by the match officials on and off the field of play,” he said. “Teams must compete within the Laws of the Game, because anything less puts the very essence of football at risk.”
Infantino added that the incidents sent the wrong message to fans around the world and called on teams and players to set a better example.
“The ugly scenes witnessed must be condemned and never repeated,” he said, expressing confidence that CAF’s disciplinary bodies would take appropriate action.
Advertisement
