RABAT, Morocco (AP) – A Moroccan court on Thursday sentenced 19 soccer fans to up to a year in prison for hooliganism stemming from the chaos. african cup of nations final During the match between Morocco and Senegal, supporters tried to invade the field.
After a hearing that lasted more than five hours, the presiding judge found the fans – 18 Senegalese and one French national – guilty of no fewer than six crimes, including damaging sports facilities and committing acts of violence during sporting events.
Eleven were sentenced to one year in prison and fined $550. The four were sentenced to six months in prison and fined $218. The remaining four were sentenced to three months in prison and fined $130, lawyer Naima El Gheraf told The Associated Press.
One of the defendants fainted upon hearing the verdict. Some refused to get up from the dock when they were ordered to enter the small door leading to the holding cell. The family was visibly shaken and relatives maintained their innocence.
Lawyers said they considered the decision significant and planned to appeal.
Both defendants were arrested last month when furious supporters tried to storm the pitch to protest a second-half penalty awarded to hosts Morocco in the final, which Senegal ultimately won 1-0. They were held for more than a month awaiting sentencing.
At Thursday’s hearing, which was attended by Senegalese and French diplomats as well as several of the defendants’ relatives, lawyers argued the court did not have sufficient grounds to convict their clients.
Prosecutors sought the maximum penalty against the fans, arguing that they disrupted the orderly conduct of the game. He added that damages are estimated at more than $476,719.
Morocco has been grappling with the issue of soccer-related hooliganism for years, and the North African country’s courts routinely hear cases related to such incidents. However, this incident was an unusual case in which only foreigners were involved.
The ruling marks the latest development in a final round that appealed to senior officials from both countries for peace and fraternity amid tensions on social media and a surge in what Moroccan rights groups call “hate speech.”
Last month, African soccer body CAF fined Senegal and Morocco $1 million and suspended them over the turbulent match. Morocco announced plans to appeal the decision, saying the sanctions were disproportionate to the incident.
The match was marred by Senegalese players leaving the pitch in stoppage time to protest a penalty awarded to Morocco. Enraged Senegalese fans threw chairs onto the field and scuffled with stewards before police arrived.
Following the match and its result, senior officials from both countries sought to prevent the match from straining bilateral relations by strengthening diplomatic and economic ties, which they described as “strong and historic.”
Senegal’s prime minister visited Morocco and signed an agreement aimed at promoting investment in sectors such as agriculture and mining. The two African countries are important economic partners. Debt-ridden Senegal is seeking investors, and Morocco is pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the West African country’s economy.
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Associated Press on Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
