January 23 – Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has defended his side’s walk off the pitch during the Africa Cup of Nations final, saying it was an emotional response taken in the chaos of a moment.
Late in the game, Senegal left the field after Morocco were awarded a highly debatable Video Assistant Referee (VAR) penalty, just moments after a potential Senegal winner had been controversially ruled out, without even a VAR check. What followed was confusion, confrontation, and a spectacle that overshadowed the continent’s biggest match.
“It was never my intention to go against the principles of the game I love so much,” Thiaw wrote on Instagram.
“I simply tried to protect my players from injustice. What some may perceive as a violation of the rules is nothing more than an emotional reaction to the bias of the situation. After deliberation, we decided to resume the match and go for the trophy.”
Sadio Mané eventually persuaded his teammates to return so Brahim Díaz could take Morocco’s penalty. Díaz missed with the weakest Paneka seen in a major final, and which was the last kick of regulation. Pape Guaye scored a screamer in extra time to hand Senegal a 1–0 victory.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino – who reportedly refused to hand the winners trophy to Senegal at the presentation – condemned the walkoff the following day, while the Moroccan Football Federation said it was pursuing legal action with FIFA and CAF, arguing the incident “significantly impacted the normal flow of the match and the players’ performance.”
The scenes around the pitch were chaotic and had been for much of the match with Moroccan ball boys and players repeatedly trying to steal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy’s towel from his goal – it even led to an unsightly tug-of-war with Senegal’s reserve goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf who was sent to protect the towel. Even when play resumed, tensions remained high. Fighting was still ongoing when Díaz stepped up to take the penalty.
The stoppage for the walk-off lasted around 15 minutes, an eternity in a final, and a ultimately a poor advertisement for the competition.
“We experienced an exceptional tournament with magnificent organization, which ended unfortunately in a dramatic fashion,” Thiaw said.
The Senegal Football Federation added to the controversy by criticising a lack of “fair play” from the Moroccan hosts in the build-up to the final that saw them mobbed when arriving in Rabat, having to change hotel and having inadequate training facilities. All fed into a sense of grievance when the late goal was disallowed and the penalty awarded.
“I apologize if I have offended anyone,” Thiaw said, “but football lovers will understand that emotion is an integral part of this sport.”
Emotion is inevitable but taking your team off in front of the world’s eyes in a major tournament is unlikely to go unpunished, no matter what the provocation.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1769135956labto1769135956ofdlr1769135956owedi1769135956sni@r1769135956etsbe1769135956w.kci1769135956n1769135956
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