## AFCON Final Descends into Drama: Senegal Triumph Marred by Coach’s Shocking Walk-Off Order
The recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, which saw Senegal ultimately claim victory in extra-time thanks to a spectacular strike from Pape Gueye, was overshadowed by an astonishing act of protest from their coach, Pape Thiaw. Thiaw has since offered a public “apology to football” for instructing his team to abandon the pitch mid-game, a move his Moroccan counterpart, Walid Regragui, fiercely condemned as “not honouring Africa.”
While Gueye’s stunning effort eventually sealed Senegal’s triumph, the true flashpoint of a largely uneventful match occurred in the dying minutes of normal time, igniting a furious controversy that captivated and shocked onlookers.
### The Controversial Calls That Sparked Outrage
The drama began shortly after referee Jean Jacques Ndala disallowed what appeared to be a legitimate Senegal goal, citing a seemingly minor infringement by Abdoulaye Seck on Achraf Hakimi. This decision, contentious in itself, was merely a precursor to the storm that was about to break.
Moments later, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened, directing Ndala to the pitchside monitor to review an incident involving El Hadji Malick Diouf and Brahim Diaz inside the penalty area. Despite the contact appearing minimal, the referee pointed to the spot, awarding Morocco a crucial penalty.
This decision ignited a firestorm. Senegalese players erupted in fury, and a small contingent of their travelling supporters clashed with security personnel as they attempted to breach the field. Amidst the pandemonium, Coach Thiaw was clearly observed gesturing emphatically, signaling for his players to leave the pitch in protest. In a scene of utter bewilderment, only captain Sadio Mane remained, visibly distraught by the unfolding chaos.
## A Panenka Fails: Morocco’s Missed Opportunity
After an extraordinary delay of approximately 17 minutes, the Senegalese squad reluctantly returned to the field. Brahim Diaz, tasked with converting the penalty, opted for a audacious Panenka chip, only to see his attempt float meekly into the waiting arms of Senegal’s goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy. The final whistle for regulation time blew almost immediately after this dramatic sequence.
### Regragui’s Scathing Assessment
Morocco’s coach, Walid Regragui, was scathing in his assessment of the events, suggesting the extended delay had impacted Diaz. “I think a lot of time passed before [Brahim] was able to take the penalty, and this put him off,” Regragui stated. He went on to lambast the conduct witnessed, declaring, “The match we had was shameful for Africa.”
Regragui’s criticism of Thiaw was direct and unreserved: “When a head coach asks his players to leave the pitch…he needs to stay classy, in victory as well as in defeat. What Pape [Thiaw] did tonight doesn’t honour Africa. He’s an African champion now, so he can say what he wants, but they stopped the match for over 10 minutes.” Despite his disapproval, Regragui took responsibility for his player’s error: “That doesn’t excuse Brahim for the way he hit [the penalty], he hit it like that and we have to own it. We need to look forward now, and accept that Brahim missed it.”
## Thiaw’s Contrition: An Apology to Football
While Thiaw’s official post-match press conference was cancelled due to altercations between Moroccan and Senegalese journalists, he did offer his remorse in an interview with beIN Sport.
“We didn’t agree,” he admitted. “I don’t want to go over all the incidents. I apologise to football.” Thiaw acknowledged the heat of the moment, explaining, “After reflecting on it, I made them come back [on the pitch] – you can react in the heat of the moment. We accept the errors of the referee. We shouldn’t have done it, but it’s done, and now we present our apologies to football.”
## Mane: The Champion of Sportsmanship
Amidst the controversy, Sadio Mane, later crowned player of the tournament, emerged as a beacon of sportsmanship. His steadfast determination to continue the match, emphasizing the broader image of African football, earned him widespread commendation.
“Football is something special, the world was watching, so we have to give a good image for football,” Mane asserted. He underscored the gravity of abandoning the game: “I think it would be crazy to not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game? I think that would be the worst thing, especially in African football. I’d rather lose than this kind of thing happen to our football.”
Mane concluded by acknowledging the regrettable nature of the delay but stressed the importance of moving forward. “I think it’s really bad. Football should not stop for 10 minutes but what can we do? We have to accept what we did but the good thing is that we came back and we played the game and what happened, happened.”
Despite the tumultuous events, Senegal ultimately secured their victory, but the final will undoubtedly be remembered as much for its unprecedented drama and the ethical debate it sparked as for the football itself.