AFCON Final Chaos: Court jails Senegalese fans, slams heavy fines

A Moroccan court has sentenced 19 football fans to prison terms of up to one year over hooliganism during the chaotic Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Morocco and Senegal.

The court found the fans, made up of 18 Senegalese nationals and one French citizen, guilty of multiple offences, including damaging sporting facilities and engaging in violence during a sporting event.

Following a hearing that lasted more than five hours in Rabat on Thursday, eleven of the defendants were sentenced to one year in prison and fined $550 each. Four others received six-month jail terms with a $218 fine, while the remaining four were sentenced to three months behind bars and fined $130, according to defence lawyer Naima El Guellaf.

Tension reportedly filled the courtroom after the verdict was delivered, with one of the defendants fainting upon hearing his sentence. Some others refused to comply with instructions to proceed to the holding cells, as distraught family members insisted on their innocence.

The defence team has since announced plans to appeal the ruling, describing the sentences as excessive.

The defendants were arrested last month after angry supporters attempted to storm the pitch in protest of a late penalty awarded to host nation Morocco during the final, which Senegal went on to win 1-0.

Prosecutors told the court that the supporters disrupted the orderly conduct of the match, with damages from the incident estimated at over $476,000.

Security forces had to intervene after Senegalese players walked off the pitch in protest of the stoppage-time penalty decision. The situation quickly escalated as some fans hurled chairs onto the field and clashed with match stewards before police restored order.

The fallout from the ill-tempered final has continued to generate diplomatic concern, with officials in both Morocco and Senegal calling for calm amid rising tensions on social media.

Earlier, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined both countries a combined $1 million and imposed sanctions over the disorder that marred the tournament’s showpiece match. Morocco has since indicated plans to appeal the decision, describing the punishment as disproportionate