Senegal coach Thiaw expresses regret after AFCON title: “Now, we apologize to football”

The controversy and fallout from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final appears unlikely to go away anytime soon after Senegal defeated hosts Morocco 1-0 in the final and winning coach Pape Thiaw attempted to apologize for his actions on Monday.

The drama of the Africa Cup of Nations final continued after the final whistle, with Moroccan journalists walking out of Senegal boss Pape Thiaw’s press conference. 🫣 pic.twitter.com/rRLk2Lg2Eg

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 19, 2026

A surreal scene at the end of normal time saw the Senegalese team walk off the pitch in protest after a penalty kick was awarded in favor of the hosts. Following a long delay, the team elected to return to the pitch where Morocco star Brahim Díaz failed to convert the spot kick in sensational fashion. Incredibly, the Lions of Teranga then proceed to win it in extra time courtesy of Pape Gueye’s strike.

In a scene that reflected the tension following the match, the post-match press conference came to a premature end after Moroccan journalists left as Thiaw arrived to make his comments. Pushing and shoving ensued in an ugly end to proceedings.

But the champions did disrupt the match and there is a serious threat that sanctions will come down and even the possibility of a match replay or forfeit for the West Africans is not out of the realm of possibility. FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the leadership of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have condemned the theatrics of the AFCON final.

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw expressed regrets in comments made on a television interview:

“I don’t want to dwell on the events of the match. In hindsight, ​I really shouldn’t have ‌told my players to come off. I apologise for the sake of football. After further consideration, I brought them back ‍on. We know what happens behind the scenes.

“We can react in the heat of the moment, and we must also ask ourselves whether that was a penalty? Now, we ​accept the referee’s mistakes; it can happen. We shouldn’t have done it, but it’s done. Now, we apologise to football.”

The tactician did brillantly to guide his team to the title despite being early in his career as a head coach. But time will tell whether his initial decision to pull his team off the pitch will come back to haunt the team. With many supporters feeling that CAF and FIFA desired a Morocco victory due to the North African nation’s elevated status and relationships in world football, their theory will be tested when a decision from the authorities come down.

“We strongly condemn the behaviour of some ‘supporters’ as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members,” Infantino said. “It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right.”

“The image we gave of African football was rather shameful. Having to stop the game for more than 10 minutes with the world watching is not very classy,” Morocco coach Walid Regragui reflected after the match. “The atmosphere has been unhealthy since the start of the competition. It’s a shame.”

All indications are that a punishment of some sort is inevitable with fines the minimum potential sanction. However, if a more severe decision comes down that impacts the result of the match, the controversy and conspiracy theories will only increase.