Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has apologized for actions during the blockbuster 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco.
The Taranga Lions triumphed over the North Africa football heavyweights in a chaotic final, held at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Sunday night.
The high-stake clash descended into controversy after a late penalty decision in Morocco’s favour sparked furious protests from the Senegalese camp, leading to a brief stoppage as players appeared ready to abandon the pitch on the instructions of their bench.
But Sadio Mane demonstrated leadership, rallying his teammates to return to the pitch for the continuation of the match. Senegal prevailed, with Pape Gueye netting the match-winner in extra-time as the Taranga Lions secured the second AFCON title in history.
Pape Thiaw has, however, apologized to the football fraternity for his impulsive action that nearly brought African football into disrepute.
“We didn’t agree with the referee’s decision, that’s all.” he told beIN SPORTS after match. “I don’t want to go into details about what happened in this match, but after thinking about it, I absolutely did not like my request for the players to leave the field.”
“I apologize to football. I brought the players back onto the field afterward, and sometimes a person might act impulsively in a moment of anger.”
“We wondered whether the penalty would have been awarded if our disallowed goal had been allowed before it.”
“We accept refereeing mistakes, which are part of football. We shouldn’t have done that, but it happened in the end, and I apologize for it.”
Senegal won the title for the second time in its history after 2021 at the expense of Egypt, and ended its drought in final matches with a wonderful goal from Pape Gueye, which is the 100th goal in the history of the Taranga Lions in the African Cup of Nations.
For the first time, the Senegalese national team has triumphed over the host nation after five previous attempts without a victory against the home team.
The Taranga Lions now hold the second-longest unbeaten run in the Africa Cup of Nations with 18 matches, after Egypt, who hold the record with 24 matches.
The Moroccan national team has been absent from the podium in the Africa Cup of Nations for 50 years, since winning the title in 1976.
