Why I persuaded Senegal teammates to return to pitch during AFCON final protest - Sadio Mané explains

Senegal star Sadio Mané has explained why he intervened to persuade his teammates to return to the pitch after they walked off in protest during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 final against host nation Morocco.

The dramatic incident occurred late in the second half of Sunday night’s final when the referee awarded Morocco a penalty following a foul on Brahim Díaz.

Angered by the decision, members of the Senegalese team temporarily left the field in protest, bringing the match to a halt.

While his teammates headed toward the sidelines, Mané remained on the pitch, engaging officials and assessing the situation before calling his colleagues back to resume play.

His intervention proved decisive, as Senegal went on to secure a 1-0 victory after extra time, with Pape Gueye scoring the winning goal to hand the Lions of Teranga their second AFCON title.

Speaking after the match, Mané revealed that he questioned the wisdom of abandoning the game and felt it was important to protect the image of African football.

“When they decided to go out and not play, I stayed and asked some people, ‘What do you think about this? Is it a good idea or not?’” Mané said.

He continued, “Then I decided to go and bring everyone back to the pitch. I think it is the best thing to do.”

The Al-Nassr forward emphasised that, while referees can make mistakes, protests that stop a match send the wrong message to fans around the world.

“Because this is just football, I think the referee sometimes can make mistakes. People around the world are watching. It could be a penalty or not, but that is not the most important thing. What matters is respecting the game. It is not fair to stop a match like this,” he added.

Following the resumption, Morocco failed to convert their penalty, and Senegal held firm before striking in extra time to seal victory. The win secured Senegal’s second AFCON crown.