*’Shameful Incidents, Behaviors Recorded’
*Rallies All Africans Towards Normal Brotherhood Ties
By Felix Durumbah
The Kingdom of Morocco has moved to try to mend its sports reputation following the sordid events in the field of play during the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosted by the North African nation.
The final of the tournament which held from 21 December, 2025 to 18 January, 2026, was between Morocco and Senegal, a West African country.
It was a heated encounter involving two fired-up sides. With the score at 0-0 in the 98th minute, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty after a video assistant referee (VAR) check for a foul by Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf on Brahim Díaz.
Vehemently disputing the penalty decision, Senegal’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, instructed his team to walk off the field in protest, leading to a 17-minute delay. When finally taken, the penalty kick was missed by Diaz.
In the second minute of added time, a Senegal goal by Ismaila Sarr was disallowed for a foul in the build-up.
Players and fans on both sides were visibly worked up throughout the match, with
clashes even breaking out between some Senegal fans and Moroccan security personnel.
These occurrences, beamed live via global broadcast and digital platforms to hundreds of millions of people across the world, inevitably painted a poor picture of the Maghrebian country.
However, today, King Mohammed VI issued a statement, firstly, expressing his profound gratitude to his subjects and praising them for their contributions to what he described as the tournament’s success.
The monarch’s words were run in the current Arabic edition of one of the country’s leading newspapers, Al Ittihad Al Ichtiraki, translated digitally into English by People&Politics.
It ran thus: “While this grand continental football event, hosted by the Kingdom, was marred by the unfortunate events that occurred in the final minutes of the final match between the Moroccan and Senegalese teams, during which shameful incidents and behaviors were recorded, once the tension and emotions subside, the bonds of African brotherhood will naturally prevail.
“This Moroccan success is also a success for all of Africa. Morocco will remain proud to have provided a month of popular joy and sporting enthusiasm on its soil, thus contributing to the prominence of Africa and football on the continent.
“On the other hand, in the face of defamation and attempts to undermine credibility, His Majesty the King remains convinced that hostile schemes will never succeed, and that the Moroccan people know how to distinguish between right and wrong and will not succumb to malice and division.
“Nothing can harm the close ties woven over centuries between our African peoples, nor the fruitful cooperation between the various countries of the continent, which continues to be strengthened by even more ambitious partnerships.
“The Kingdom of Morocco has been and will remain a great African nation, faithful to the spirit of brotherhood, solidarity, and respect it has always shown towards its continent.
“In accordance with His Majesty the King’s insightful vision, Morocco will continue its firm and unwavering commitment to a united and prosperous Africa, particularly through the shared exchange of its experiences, expertise, and skills.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: King Mohammed VI.
