Sadio Mane has been widely praised by African football legends after intervening to prevent the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final from collapsing into chaos, following a dramatic protest by Senegal players during their victory over hosts Morocco.
The final in Rabat was halted for around 15 minutes after Senegalese players, encouraged by head coach Pape Thiaw, walked off the pitch in anger at a VAR decision that awarded Morocco a penalty for a foul on Brahim Diaz.
With tensions rising and the match on the brink of abandonment, Mane stepped in to persuade his teammates to return and allow the contest to continue.
Although Diaz missed the resulting penalty and Pape Gueye later scored the decisive goal in extra time to secure Senegal’s second AFCON title, much of the post-match focus centred on Mane’s actions rather than the scoreline.
Former Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo said the forward had preserved the reputation of the African game at a critical moment.
“Sadio Mane saved the face of African football, and he’s a man who stood out. He took all his teammates back onto the field to continue the game,” Ighalo said on SuperSport after Mane was named Player of the Tournament. “He deserves to win that trophy, and he deserves the captain’s armband.”
Former Nigeria captain and coach Sunday Oliseh, who was providing television analysis during the match, also praised Mane while strongly criticising Senegal’s protest.
“This is why Sadio Mané is loved worldwide, because of his intelligence and the ability to stay calm,” Oliseh said.
“This is a man who has been through a lot of challenges in his playing career. I think Sadio Mané is a hero; he’s an example that people should imitate.
His teammates are coming back onto the pitch.
“But if the referee blows for a penalty, the rule states you have to respect the decision. Furthermore, the penalty has not been scored yet.”
Daniel Amokachi echoed those sentiments, telling the BBC World Service that Mane’s leadership had gone beyond footballing ability.
“Mane went the extra mile to get his team back and it has paid off. What an ambassador for football he is.
We know the kind of person he is off the pitch and he knows what football is all about.”
Former Morocco international Hassan Kachloul was even more blunt in his assessment.
“African football and world football were losing” until Mane intervened, he said.
“What I like more than anything, the only player from the Senegalese team was Sadio Mane.
“That shows the great man he is. He went back to the dressing room and brought those players back. Mane was the man to bring them back on.”
Mane himself later explained that his decision was driven by a desire to protect the image of the sport.
“Football is something special, the world was watching, the world loves football and I think football is a pleasure so we have to give a good image for football,” he told the BBC.
“I think it would be crazy to not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game?
“I think that would be the worst thing especially in African football. I’d rather lose than this kind of thing happen to our football.”
