Morocco head coach Walid Regragui has voiced his disappointment over the conduct of Senegal coach Pape Thiaw during the Africa Cup of Nations final played in Rabat.
The highly charged encounter was briefly interrupted after Morocco were awarded a late penalty following a VAR review, a decision that led to Senegal’s players temporarily leaving the pitch and further heightening tensions in an already intense final.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, Regragui described the incident as harmful to the image of African football and suggested that the lengthy delay before the penalty was taken unsettled his players.
“I think there was too much time wasted before the penalty was taken, and that must have unsettled Diaz,” he said.
Regragui went further to criticise the sequence of events that unfolded, suggesting it reflected poorly on the continent’s flagship competition.
“The picture we gave of Africa was a little shameful. The coach asked his players to leave the field. It had already started from the press conference before the match.”
Despite his frustration, the Moroccan coach stressed the importance of maintaining composure in both victory and defeat, while acknowledging Senegal’s achievement.
“As I said, in the end, we must always keep our composure, whether we win or lose. What Pape did tonight does not honour Africa. Still, he is the champion of Africa, and he has the right to say what he wants.”
Regragui admitted that the prolonged stoppage had an impact on his team, particularly Brahim Diaz, who went on to miss the decisive penalty.
“We stopped the match in front of the whole world for at least ten minutes. That didn’t help Brahim. This is not an excuse for how he took the shot, but we cannot go back. He struck it that way. We take responsibility, especially me as coach. Now, we look forward.”
The incident added to the controversy surrounding the AFCON 2025 final, which Senegal eventually won 1-0 after extra time.
While Morocco missed out on lifting the trophy on home soil, Regragui insisted his side must learn from the experience and move forward with resilience.
