Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Senegal player fights off ball boys and Moroccan players in ill-tempered Afcon final

Morocco and Senegal managers pulled apart after confrontation at full time in dramatic AFCON final
  • Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 after extra time in a controversial Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final held in Rabat.
  • The match featured contentious moments, including a disputed last-gasp penalty awarded to Morocco, which led to their manager Pape Thiaw taking his team off the pitch in protest.
  • Morocco faced criticism from fans for alleged attempts to unsettle Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, particularly by obstructing the delivery of towels to him in wet conditions.
  • Viral footage showed ball boys preventing back-up goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf from passing towels to Mendy, a fan using a laser pen on Mendy, and Achraf Hakimi throwing a Senegal towel over an advertising board.
  • Despite these actions, Morocco were awarded the Fair Play Award, with Diouf later posting an Instagram photo of himself with his medal and a towel, humorously referencing the incident.
In full

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in