Big controversy: 2026 Africa Cup of Nations final descends into chaos as Senegalese players leave the pitch in protest after Morocco are awarded a penalty in stoppage time
Senegal won the African Cup of Nations after a controversial final (Image: Samah Zdan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
It was a final that will live long in the memory for many reasons. Senegal’s 1-0 victory over Morocco was decided by Pape Gueye’s brilliant goal, but the 2026 African Cup of Nations will always be remembered for what happened minutes before.
Gueye, along with his Senegalese teammates, had just left the pitch 17 minutes after protesting a penalty awarded to hosts Morocco in the dying embers of the game, which remained goalless. Manager Pape Thiau ordered his players sent off, but it took star man Sadio Mane to pull them back in.
A penalty was finally awarded, but Brahim Diaz missed it in humiliating fashion. The former Manchester City winger, now at Real Madrid, attempted a panenka but it floated into the arms of former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
After Senegal ran out winners in extra time, many felt justice had been served. But were they right to leave, and should they be punished?
We asked the Miller Football Team for their verdict.
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john cross
Absolutely not. That goes against the essence of sport. After all, we’re all fans who get upset by bad or controversial decisions. But unfortunately, that’s also part of the game. There is no excuse for what happened next. You can’t just start walking around every corner.
And, as if to prove Senegal wrong, Senegal’s manager Pape Thiau went so far as to say, “We shouldn’t have done that, but it’s over and we now apologize to the football world.”
The only person who really took credit was Sadio Mane, who stayed on the pitch and tried to get his team-mates back. He is a truly great man, sportsman and a true legend. There are some wonderful people out there.
AFCON was a lot of fun. I was never lucky enough to go, so it’s still on my bucket list. I really hate the way tournaments are disrespected by so many people in the game. We don’t mean to look down on the euro that way.
And even now, people portray it as a bad impression of Africa. No, it’s a bad look for soccer. Please don’t use this as another excuse to mock AFCON.
Was it right for Senegal to withdraw? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Sadio Mane’s behavior has been praised (Image: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Andy Dunn
Just as we had to wait six minutes for an offside ruling in an English club match the other day, maybe waiting 15 minutes for a penalty at the end of a major international tournament isn’t so bad.
In all seriousness, no team should be sent off like Senegal, no matter how controversial the moment. And they should face some sort of punishment, but no one knows what form that will take.
It’s almost forgivable that they didn’t take a penalty that night. It could be said that this was an exceptional situation in a clearly enthusiastic atmosphere. However, having said that, the actions of the Senegalese team and coach Papa Thiau must have made the match even more exciting.
Although it is difficult to think of precedents for this type of incident, it is necessary to impose sanctions on Senegal and introduce a rule in future tournaments that would result in forfeiture of matches by default for those who protested against the referee’s decision.
Pape Tiau orders his players to leave (Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jeremy Cross
Pape Tiau should never be allowed to coach a soccer team again. In one fell swoop, the Senegalese coach brought utter disgrace to himself, his country and the entire continent.
The African Cup of Nations is one of the biggest tournaments in the sport. However, thanks to Thiau’s brutal actions, his reputation and reputation were forever tarnished. If a manager decided to drag his team off the pitch every time he disagreed with a referee’s decision, we would never get to that end.
But kudos to former Liverpool star Sadio Mane for staying in the game to force his team-mates to finish it off. Apparently one of the few people with actual common sense.
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james whaling
In football, especially at international level, there is no greater pressure cooker than a major final. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen first-hand how much AFCON means to the participants in what has been a wonderfully diverse tournament.
Should coach Pape Thiau have removed his players from the pitch? Probably not. But I fully understand why he did it. And honestly, it was an absolute box office hit. Senegal’s canceled goal was nonsense. I don’t think the penalty award would have caused so much controversy on its own if it hadn’t come immediately after the goal that was canceled out.
In the end, justice was served and we got one of the most entertaining plays in football history. Everyone is a winner, except the Moroccans.
FIFA told to punish Senegal (Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
sam mead
Senegal can never justify their antics. This sets a scary precedent as teams and their staff could refuse to play if they don’t like a controversial decision. We are not in the school playground.
If it wasn’t for Sadio Mane, I don’t know if the game would have restarted. They ran out winners by the end, but it’s certainly possible that their actions had a psychological impact on their opponents and on Diaz, who clearly missed a penalty.
This work highlights the responsibility that referees have and the emotions that arise as a result. That is by no means an excuse, but refereeing standards are often called out around the world. With VAR at your disposal, you won’t miss a key decision in a big game.
But I hope that what Senegal did in that final never happens again, it definitely leaves a bad taste.
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