FIFA President Gianni Infantino has condemned Senegal players for walking off the pitch in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco during Sunday’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, Afrosport reports.
The showpiece in Rabat made headlines when Senegalese players walked off the pitch after Morocco was handed a penalty deep in added time with the game tied at 0-0.
Head coach Pape Thiaw seemingly ordered the players to leave the pitch, which most of them did, but Sadio Mane remained and urged his teammates to return.
The players eventually did, with goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saving Brahim Diaz’s penalty while Pape Gueye went on to win it in extra time for the West African giants, handing them their second title.
In an Instagram post, Infantino, who was in attendance at the final, congratulated Senegal for the win, but hit out at their decision to walk off the pitch.
“Congratulations to Senegal on being crowned champions of Africa and winners of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco in Rabat. My best wishes as well to Abdoulaye Fall, President of the Senegalese Football Association, and to everyone involved in this success,” read the post.
“…Unfortunately, we also witnessed unacceptable scenes on the field and in the stands – we strongly condemn the behaviour of some supporters as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members. It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right.
“We must always respect the decisions taken by the match officials on and off the field of play. Teams must compete on the pitch and within the Laws of the Game, because anything less puts the very essence of football at risk.
“It is also the responsibility of teams and players to act responsibly and set the right example for fans in the stadiums and millions watching around the world. The ugly scenes witnessed today must be condemned and never repeated. I reiterated that they have no place in football and I expect that the relevant disciplinary bodies at CAF will take the appropriate measures.”
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Meanwhile, Diaz, also took to social media to apologise for this penalty miss, stressing it will be hard for him to recover from it.
“Yesterday I failed, and I take full responsibility and apologise with all my heart,” he said in an X post.
“It will be hard for me to recover because this wound does not heal easily, but I will try, not for myself, but for all who believed in me and for all who suffered with me.
“I will keep going until someday I can give back all this love and be a pride for my Moroccan people.”
Me duele el alma. Soñé con este título gracias a todo el amor que me habéis dado, a cada mensaje, a cada muestra de apoyo que me hizo sentir que no estaba solo. Luché con todo lo que tenía, con el corazón por encima de todo.
Ayer fallé y asumo toda la responsabilidad y me… pic.twitter.com/W7oBP6crru
— Brahim (@Brahim) January 19, 2026
The wait for Morocco’s first AFCON title since 1976 lingers and will now extend into the 2027 edition, hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
