CAF Fines Senegal and Morocco Over $1 Million After Chaotic 2025 AFCON Final
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has slammed Senegal and Morocco with combined fines exceeding $1 million after disorder overshadowed the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this month.
CAF confirmed the sanctions after concluding disciplinary proceedings into multiple incidents that erupted during the explosive final between the two North African and West African giants. The verdict was contained in a ruling released by the continent’s football governing body in the early hours of Thursday, PulseNets learnt.
Senegal emerged as the most heavily penalised, with the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football handed a total fine of $715,000. Of this sum, $300,000 was imposed for unsporting conduct by players and officials during the match, while another $300,000 related to the actions of Senegalese supporters who reportedly clashed with police officers and stadium security personnel.
CAF also issued a $15,000 fine after Senegal players accumulated five yellow cards in the final. In addition, national team head coach Pape Thiaw was fined $100,000 for instructing his players to abandon the pitch following a controversial late penalty awarded to Morocco.
CAF, in its ruling obtained by PulseNets, stated that Thiaw’s actions brought the game into disrepute. As part of the disciplinary measures, the coach will serve a five-match suspension in all official CAF competitions. Two Senegalese players, Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr, were also handed two-match bans each for what CAF described as hostile conduct toward the match referee.
Morocco was not spared either. CAF imposed a total fine of $415,000 on the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF). The Moroccan federation was fined $200,000 over the conduct of ball boys, who were accused of stealing the Senegal goalkeeper’s towel during the match.
Further sanctions saw the FRMF fined $100,000 for improper conduct by players and technical staff who reportedly invaded the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review zone and interfered with the referee’s duties. An additional $15,000 fine was imposed due to the behaviour of Moroccan supporters, who were cited for using laser pointers during the final, PulseNets reported.
Individual sanctions were also handed down to Moroccan players. Ismaël Saibari received a $100,000 fine and a three-match suspension for unsporting behaviour after he was caught obstructing the Senegal goalkeeper from retrieving his towel.
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Team captain Achraf Hakimi was equally punished, receiving a two-match suspension. However, CAF suspended one of those matches for a probationary period of one year from the date of the decision, after finding him guilty of the same offence as Saibari.
Meanwhile, CAF dismissed Morocco’s appeal seeking to have Senegal stripped of the 2025 AFCON title. The disciplinary committee ruled that Senegal’s decision to leave the pitch unilaterally before the conclusion of the match did not warrant overturning the final result, PulseNets learnt.
