Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has slammed the ‘shameful’ behaviour of Senegal coach Pape Thiaw in Sunday night’s 2025 AFCON final.
The match had a dramatic ending after the referee awarded a late penalty kick to the hosts, infuriating the Lions of Teranga players and supporters after they had a goal ruled out a few minutes earlier.
There was a 16-minute delay in the game in which Thiaw signaled to his players to walk off the pitch in protest against the decision.
The game eventually continued after Sadio Mane plead with his teammates to re-enter the pitch, with Brahim Diaz losing the spot-kick and sending the game into extra-time.
“The image we’ve given of Africa is shameful. A coach who asks his players to leave the field … What Pape did does not honour Africa. He had already started in the [pre-match] press conference. He wasn’t classy. But he is a champion, so he can say whatever he wants”, Regragui said.
Pape Gueye went on to score the only goal of the encounter for Senegal , who clinched a 1-0 win as they won their second AFCON title.
It was heartbreak for the Moroccans, whose wait for a second continental title goes on beyond this edition, with their only win back at the 1976 edition.
“We stopped the match in the eyes of the world for 10 minutes. That didn’t help Brahim. That doesn’t excuse Brahim for the way he hit the penalty. He hit it like that and we have to accept it. We were one minute from being African champions. That’s football. It’s often cruel. We missed what for some was the opportunity of a lifetime”, Regragui concluded.
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