Former CAF Official Calls for Harsher Punishment for Senegal Coach Pape Thiaw Over AFCON Final Chaos

Raymond Hack, the former chairman of the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Disciplinary Committee, has condemned the sanctions handed down after the chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final, placing the blame squarely on Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw.

In a conversation with British-Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwana, Raymond Hack asserted that the disciplinary body "missed an opportunity to impose the sanctions that were truly necessary."

He described the final as "probably the most important and certainly the most embarrassing situation CAF has ever faced," aside from incidents involving stadium disasters or fatalities.

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The former official was particularly critical of the five-match suspension and $100,000 fine given to Thiaw, calling the punishment "minimal compared to the damage done to CAF’s image."

In Raymond Hack's view, the coach's actions warranted a much stricter penalty, suggesting a ban from all football activities for at least six months and a larger fine to be paid by the Senegalese Football Federation.

Hack warned that the situation could have escalated into a tragedy if not for the intervention of Senegalese star Sadio Mané.

He added that the incident only reinforced negative stereotypes about crowd control in African football, an issue CAF has been working to address for years.

He also questioned the decision to allow Pape Thiaw to remain eligible for major tournaments like the World Cup, stating it was "something I cannot reconcile."

Furthermore, Raymond Hack found the two-match bans for players to be poorly justified, arguing that such a light penalty for bringing the game into disrepute lacks a clear rationale.

Hack concluded that if a coach is unable to handle the pressure of such a high-stakes match, "he should never have been put in that position."

He expressed his surprise that the Senegalese Football Federation had not yet taken its own internal disciplinary measures against Pape Thiaw.