French football legend Thierry Henry has strongly criticized Senegal’s conduct in the Africa Cup of Nations final while praising Morocco’s organization of what he described as an “exceptional” tournament.
Speaking as a pundit for CBS, he argued that the real issue facing AFCON is not the level of football, but the standard of refereeing.
Henry recalled that he has followed the competition since the 1988 edition in Morocco, when Cameroon beat Nigeria, and said he grew up watching stars like Roger Milla and Joseph-Antoine Bell, which made him love the tournament from a young age.
He emphasized that the latest edition was “great,” highlighting Morocco’s outstanding infrastructure, from stadiums to hotels, and insisting that, overall, the tournament was a success.
However, Henry took a firm stance against the reaction of Senegal’s players, who at one point tried to leave the pitch in protest. He stressed that such behaviour is wrong and “not the image we want,” not only for African football but for the game as a whole, adding that while he understands their frustration, the way they expressed it was unacceptable and does not define the tournament itself.
Moving away from Senegal’s actions, Henry focused his main criticism on refereeing standards at AFCON. He said mistakes happen too often and make it clear that officials are not always up to the level of the matches, but he refused to blame the referees personally, instead pointing the finger at those responsible for training and developing them.
As a solution, Henry firmly rejected the idea of importing European referees for AFCON.
He insisted that African officials must be given the chance to take charge of their own continent’s showpiece, but argued that they need better coaching and preparation, because repeated errors harm the reputation of the competition even though the players, teams and overall tournament are not the problem.
