AFCON 2023: Ismail Jakobs reflects on Senegal’s unfortunate exit and controversial decisions

AS Monaco’s Ismail Jakobs, reflecting on Senegal’s untimely departure from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), attributes the bitter exit to a stroke of bad luck. The defending champions, Senegal, faced Ivory Coast in the round of 16 and suffered a surprising defeat.

Senegal, entering the competition as titleholders and frontrunners for a successful defense, faced an unexpected elimination in the round of 16 against Ivory Coast, who eventually went on to clinch the title.

Despite a formidable squad and initially leading the game, Senegal succumbed to a resurgent Ivory Coast side, with contentious refereeing decisions further complicating matters.

One notable incident was the apparent foul on Ismaïla Sarr in the Ivorian penalty area, overlooked by both the match referee and VAR.

Left-back Ismail Jakobs, when questioned about the penalty decision, expressed a reluctance to dwell on it, stating, “I don’t really want to talk about the referee’s decision on the penalty awarded to Ivory Coast anymore; it’s behind us.

We can’t change anything if it’s a mistake. It’s football.” He acknowledged the challenges of one-off matches in African competitions, emphasizing the absence of easy fixtures.

Jakobs suggested that Senegal faced a stroke of bad luck, having been drawn into a challenging group in the initial stage and subsequently encountering the host country, Ivory Coast, in the round of 16.

He noted the Ivorian team’s changed mentality under a new coach, highlighting their resilience and the unpredictable nature of football.

“It’s only one game, and maybe we were also a bit unlucky to come up against Ivory Coast, even though they had a poor run in the group stage.

They changed coaches, they approached this match with a different mentality. They had come back from death, so they had nothing to lose, that’s what football is,” Jakobs concluded, reflecting on the unpredictable dynamics of football tournaments.