Walid Regragui’s Canal+ debut overshadowed by Senegal-Morocco final controversy

Walid Regragui’s first appearance as a football analyst on Canal+ was dominated by his outspoken assessment of the controversial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco, rather than by his debut in the new role.

The former Morocco head coach joined Canal+ only a few days before appearing on Canal Football Club on Sunday, 6 September. He is expected to feature throughout the season during European competition coverage and on the weekly programme.

The broadcast was intended to introduce viewers to Regragui as a television consultant. Instead, discussion of the final, played eight months earlier, quickly became the defining moment of the programme after he offered a detailed and strongly worded account of the events surrounding the end of the match.

Regragui had remained relatively quiet about the controversy since the final. On Sunday, however, he addressed the subject at length alongside the Canal+ panel and made clear that he believed the incident had damaged the reputation of African football.

“The big loser is African football,” Regragui said.

The comment was rapidly shared across social media and captured the central criticism of his account: regardless of the sporting result or the responsibility of those involved, the final had presented the continent’s football in a deeply negative light.

Regragui also criticised Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw, saying he “blame[s] him a little” because of his conduct, which the former Morocco boss felt had contributed to the damage caused to African football’s image.

Clips from the interview were widely circulated, particularly those containing the phrases “the big loser is African football” and “it’s a disgrace”. Reactions online were sharply divided, with the former Morocco coach’s comments attracting considerably more attention than his first attempt at working as a television analyst.

That focus meant the rest of his performance received much less scrutiny. Regragui was also asked about Luis Enrique’s communication after Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-1 defeat by Monaco. His response to that subject was much closer to the role he is expected to perform for Canal+ in the coming weeks: examining a coach’s tactical decisions, management of a squad and public communication.

Even so, that part of the programme was largely eclipsed by his return to the Senegal-Morocco final. For his first evening as a consultant, Regragui was viewed mainly as the former Morocco manager revisiting a disputed match, rather than as Canal+’s newest football analyst.

That was unfortunate for the broadcaster, because the 2022 World Cup semi-finalist appeared comfortable when offering his football analysis. He may, however, have been slightly too “corporate” in his approach, appearing more like a coach defending his fellow managers than a consultant prepared to deliver sharper criticism.

Canal+ will now want to establish whether the intense attention generated by the Africa Cup of Nations controversy was simply a feature of Regragui’s introduction to the channel, or whether he can gradually build a different identity in the studio.

Regragui’s arrival is part of Canal+’s plans for its European match coverage and Canal Football Club this season. His first appearance was expected to provide an early indication of what he could bring to the broadcaster, but the long-running fallout from Senegal’s final victory over Morocco ensured that his comments on that match became the main story.

Away from the controversy, the programme offered an initial glimpse of Regragui’s potential as an analyst. His coaching background gives him the experience to discuss tactical choices, dressing-room management and the public handling of difficult results. For now, though, his television debut remains inseparable from his forceful verdict on one of African football’s most contentious recent finals.