Senegal fans deny wrongdoing in AFCON 2025 final pitch invasion appeal case

Eighteen Senegalese football supporters convicted over a pitch invasion during the Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat have denied any wrongdoing as their appeal hearing got underway on Monday.

A Moroccan court in February handed the supporters prison sentences ranging from three to 12 months after finding them guilty of hooliganism linked to the chaotic scenes that followed the January final.

Prosecutors are now pushing for harsher penalties at the appeals court in Rabat, arguing the original sentences were too lenient given the seriousness of the incident.

The supporters, however, insist they did not act maliciously. They told the court they either entered the pitch due to overcrowding or to avoid being spat at and struck by objects thrown from the stands. They rejected claims that the invasion was a protest against refereeing decisions at the end of the contentious final played on January 18.

Senegal had initially been declared 1-0 winners of the match before a later reversal by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which awarded the title to Morocco two months after the final.

The Senegalese Football Federation has since instructed lawyers to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

During Monday’s hearing, defence lawyer Naima El Guellaf requested that video footage of the incident be shown in court to help identify those involved and clarify the events. Prosecutors opposed the request, insisting the footage clearly captured the accused in the act, arguing that “the entire world saw these terrible images live.”

The court has yet to rule on whether the videos will be replayed.

Another defence lawyer, Patrick Kabou, argued that there may have been mistaken identities, adding that some of those truly responsible were not among the defendants currently on trial.