Africa Cup of Nations 2025: Senegal denounces the imprisonment of fans after clashes in the final

Senegal’s Prime Minister said it was “unfortunate” that 18 people from the country were given prison sentences after being found guilty of hooliganism related to the unrest at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Followers of the Teranga Lions were arrested after being accused of violence against security forces and causing damage during the match held in Rabat on January 18.

There was disturbance in the stands after Morocco won a penalty kick in stoppage time, as a group of Senegal fans tried to storm the field.

Some Senegalese players left the field in protest against the referee’s decision, but they returned in the end, and Ibrahim Diaz, the Moroccan and Real Madrid striker, missed a penalty kick before the West African team won 1-0 after extra time.

Last Thursday, a court in the Moroccan capital issued prison sentences ranging from three months to a year and fines of up to 5,000 dirhams ($545, £403).

“This seems to go beyond the world of sports and this is unfortunate,” Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko told parliament.

“For two countries that consider each other friends, like Morocco and Senegal, things were not supposed to come to this.”

The Moroccan prosecution demanded a maximum two-year prison sentence for some of those involved, saying that the defendants “deliberately sought to disrupt the proper conduct of the match.”

The eighteen men denied any wrongdoing. BBC Africa understands that they are She decided not to appeal, but is scheduled to submit a request for a royal pardon to Moroccan King Mohammed VI.

The Senegalese Football Federation expressed its “deep dismay and sadness” over the rulings, which Bakary Cisse, head of the Senegalese Federation’s communications committee, described as “incomprehensibly harsh.”

Sonko said that Morocco’s handling of the case “does not respect” relations between the two countries, adding that Senegal did “everything it should” to secure their release.

He added that Senegal could, if necessary, activate a bilateral agreement allowing the mutual transfer of convicts in order to accelerate the return of the 18 fans.