AFCON 2025 row deepens as Edouard Mendy responds to Morocco

Edouard Mendy has challenged Morocco’s version of events surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, insisting Senegal did not abandon the match as debate over the incident continues.

Speaking on the Mo Show Prod podcast, the Al-Ahli goalkeeper addressed accusations from the Moroccan camp, which suggested that Senegal’s players had collectively left the pitch during a key moment in the final.

Mendy rejected that claim, emphasising that players remained on the field.

“People were saying that we had all left the field during the final, but that’s false. There were still players on the field. It’s very important to mention that.”

Mendy pointed to the actions of referee Jean-Jacques Ndala as further support for his account. According to the Senegal international, the official’s decision not to end the match reflected the situation on the pitch at the time.

“And that’s why the referee didn’t blow the final whistle. He mentioned in the report that the match stopped for a moment, but not that the team was giving up, because there were players on the field.”

The 33-year-old, who played a decisive role in the match by saving a penalty from Brahim Díaz, maintained that play resumed without incident and continued to its conclusion.

“The game stopped for a moment and then restarted, so there’s no need to discuss what happened since the match continued to its conclusion.”

“If the entire team had been absent, we wouldn’t be discussing this today. But that wasn’t the case.”

Despite his comments, questions remain over the sequence of events. Reports and footage from the match indicate that several Senegal players, including Mendy himself, left the pitch temporarily, with only Sadio Mané initially remaining.

Mané was later seen in discussion near the bench with Claude Le Roy before also departing the playing area.

Morocco, meanwhile, remain confident ahead of the pending decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The North African side believe the outcome will confirm their position regarding the final.

As the case awaits a ruling, conflicting accounts from both camps continue to fuel uncertainty around one of the most contentious moments in recent African football.