Very Shameful Act: Morocco coach, Regragui blasts Senegal

Morocco coach Walid Regragui has strongly criticised Senegal and their coach, Pape Thiaw, over their behaviour during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final. He said the incident was “shameful” and did not represent Africa well.

The AFCON final ended in controversy after Senegal eventually beat hosts Morocco 1–0 after extra time.

Late in normal time, with the match still goalless, the referee awarded Morocco a penalty after using VAR. The decision came after Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf was judged to have fouled Brahim Diaz.

Senegal players were angry with the decision. Following instructions from their coach, Pape Thiaw, several players walked off the pitch in protest. The match was stopped for almost 20 minutes before play resumed.

When the game continued, Diaz took the penalty but his weak attempt was easily saved. The match then went into extra time.

Senegal later won the match through a powerful goal from Pape Gueye, securing their second AFCON title.

After the match, Regragui condemned Senegal’s actions.

He said:

“The image we showed the world was shameful. A coach asking his players to leave the pitch does not honour Africa. What Pape did does not honour Africa.”

He also said the long delay affected his player but accepted responsibility for the missed penalty.

“The stoppage did not help Brahim, but that is not an excuse. We were one minute away from winning the title. Football can be cruel,” he said.

Senegal’s goal scorer, Pape Gueye, defended his team. He said they felt unfairly treated by the referee.

“We felt injustice. There was a foul on us earlier and the referee did not check VAR. We were frustrated,” Gueye said.

He added that team captain Sadio Mané later convinced them to return to the pitch and focus on winning the game.

Despite Morocco’s strong run under Regragui, including a long unbeaten streak, some journalists have called for his resignation. The coach rejected those calls.

“To win the Africa Cup is very difficult. We were very close. We must accept what happened, stay humble, and come back stronger,” he said.