CAF Slaps Heavy Fines on Senegal, Pape Thiaw and Morocco Over AFCON 2025 Final Chaos

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has imposed heavy sanctions on the Senegalese Football Federation, coach Pape Thiaw and the Royal Morocco Football Federation.

This is in relation to the chaos witnessed during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final where Senegal players staged a walk out before resuming play.

During the game, all was well until the 90th minute when Senegal scored a goal that was chopped off for a foul in the build-up while five minutes later, Morocco were awarded a penalty that Senegal disputed.

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Thiaw would instruct his team to walk off the pitch, leading to a 17-minute delay, with the situation tense before Sadio Mane pleaded with his teammates to return to the pitch and they would come back before Brahim Diaz missed his penalty, sending the game into extra-time, where Senegal won thanks to Pape Gueye’s thunderbolt.

CAF and FIFA condemned the actions with the African football governing body starting a probe and the verdict is now out, hitting both teams.

Thiaw has been slapped with a five-game ban from official CAF matches as well as a fine of $100,000 (Ksh12.9 million) for unsporting conduct after he urged his players to walk off the pitch, meaning he will be at the FIFA World Cup as the ban applies to match on the continent.

Meanwhile, Senegal players Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr have been handed two-match bans each for unsporting behaviour towards the referee while the Senegalese Football Federation has been slapped with fines amounting to a total of $615,000 (Ksh79.3 million) for various violations.

The Senegalese Football Federation has been fined $300,000 (Ksh38.7 million) for the improper conduct of its supporters, a similar amount for the unsporting conduct of their players and technical staff plus another $15,000 (Ksh1.9 million) for the misconduct of its national team, due to five of its players having received cautions, bringing their total to $615,000 (Ksh79.3 million).

Meanwhile, Morocco have also not been spared with defender Achraf Hakimi handed a two-match ban, from official CAF matches, with one suspended for a year, for his unsporting behaviour, while his teammate Ismael Saibari will sit out three matches over the same and pay a fine of $100,000 (Ksh12.9 million).

The Royal Morocco Football (FRMF) has been slapped with fines amounting to a total of $315,000 (Ksh40.6 million), being $200,000 (Ksh25.8 million) for the inappropriate behaviour of the stadium’s ball boys during the AFCON final, $100,000 (Ksh12.9 million) for the improper conduct of their national team players and technical staff, who invaded the VAR review area and obstructed the referee’s work and $15,000 (Ksh1.9 million) for the use of lasers by its supporters during the match.

CAF rejected Morocco’s appeal in relation to the behaviour of Senegal during the contested match.