AFCON: Morocco coach Regragui- “It’s a shame for the image of African football”

Morocco, the host nation and heavy favorite, lost in the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to Senegal, 1-0 after extra time, in dramatic circumstances. Pape Gueye’s winning goal capped a chaotic evening marked by a controversial penalty, a tragic miss by Brahim Diaz, a brief walkout by the Senegalese players, and incidents in the stands. Amidst this chaos, Morocco coach Walid Regragui chose to remain composed and level-headed:

“We congratulate Senegal and their players. Even though it’s very disappointing, the image that African football showed today, with everything that happened at the final whistle, is regrettable. The atmosphere has been unhealthy since the start of the competition. It’s a shame. Nevertheless, we congratulate Senegal, well done to them. On our part, we will continue to work hard. Morocco will come back stronger.”

🇸🇳😬 Walid Regragui cartonne Pape Thiaw

L’image qu’on a donné de l’Afrique, c’est honteux. 𝗨𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗤𝗨𝗜 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗘 𝗔̀ 𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗦 𝗗𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗟𝗔 𝗣𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘. 𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨’𝗜𝗟 𝗔 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗧 𝗖𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗜𝗥 𝗡’𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗦 𝗟’𝗔𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘.… pic.twitter.com/4cpBLfiBXg

— Said Amdaa (@SaidAmdaa) January 18, 2026

These words, spoken spontaneously into the CAF microphone, perfectly reflect Walid Regragui’s state of mind after this extraordinary final. On the one hand, there was elegance: congratulating the opponent twice in just a few sentences, despite the pain of a home defeat in a match that Morocco had long believed they could win, especially after being awarded a penalty in the 96th minute, following a disallowed Senegalese goal and an interminable period of stoppage time.

On the other hand, there was blunt criticism: the word “unhealthy” was repeatedly used to describe the overall atmosphere of the competition, from the repeated refereeing controversies to the excesses of the final match. In a moment that reflected the post-match atmosphere, the press conference came to a premature end soon after Regragui’s comments when vocal arguments led to pushing and shoving.

The end of the match will be remembered for all the wrong reasons: protests from the Senegalese team, a partial pitch invasion by fans, projectiles thrown, and injuries among the stadium security personnel… A spectacle that tarnished the image of an Africa Cup of Nations that was otherwise largely successful from a sporting perspective.

EDITOR NOTE: This article is translated from the original article written in French by Ablam Gnamesso for Pan-Africa Football.