The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has suspended the head coach of the Senegalese national team just hours after Senegal clinched the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title with a dramatic victory over hosts Morocco in Rabat.
The suspension follows a controversial walk-off protest involving members of the Senegalese team during the final, an incident CAF has described as unacceptable. The duration of the coach’s suspension is yet to be determined, as investigations into the matter continue.
In a strongly worded statement, CAF condemned the conduct of some Senegalese players and officials during the final.
“CAF condemns the unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night,” the statement said.
The continental football body emphasized that it takes a firm stance against actions that undermine match officials and organisers.
“CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organisers. CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty.”
Senegal is now expected to face further disciplinary sanctions, depending on the outcome of CAF’s review of match footage and official reports from the final.
Despite the controversy, some senior players appeared uneasy about the protest. Star forward Sadio Mané acknowledged that abandoning the match would have been a grave mistake.
“We would have been crazy not to finish the game. It would have been a shame and sad to see this kind of scenario happen,” the former Liverpool attacker told reporters.
While Senegal celebrates its AFCON success on the pitch, the post-match fallout threatens to cast a shadow over the historic triumph as CAF moves to enforce disciplinary standards at Africa’s biggest football tournament.
