'I apologise to football': Pape Thiaw regrets Senegal’s shocking walk-off in AFCON 2025 final

The final descended into controversy in the final minutes of regulation time. After 90 goalless minutes, Senegal thought they had taken the lead in the 90+2 minute, but the goal was disallowed by the referee without a VAR review. Just two minutes later, Morocco were awarded a penalty after El Hadji Malick Diouf fouled Brahim Diaz in the box.

The decision sparked fury among Senegal players, with Thiaw leading several of them off the pitch and towards the dressing room in protest. The match was halted for around 20 minutes before Senegal returned. Brahim Diaz then missed the penalty, and Pape Gueye went on to score the decisive goal for Senegal in extra time.

After the match, Thiaw admitted his mistake and apologised for his actions. “We did not agree with the decision, that is all, and I do not want to go back over what happened in this match,” Thiaw said. “After reflecting, I really did not like the fact that I told my players to leave the pitch. I apologise to football. I brought them back.

“Sometimes you can react in the heat of the moment. We asked ourselves whether that penalty could have been given if our goal before that had been allowed. But now we accept the referee’s mistakes, that can happen. We should not have done it, but it is already done. We apologise.”

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui also criticised the incident and Thiaw’s decision. “The image we’ve given of Africa is shameful. A coach who asks his players to leave the field … What Pape did does not honour Africa,” Regragui said. “

“He had already started in the [pre-match] press conference. He wasn’t classy. But he is a champion, so he can say whatever he wants. We stopped the match in the eyes of the world for 10 minutes. That didn’t help Brahim. That doesn’t excuse Brahim for the way he hit the penalty. He hit it like that and we have to accept it. We were one minute from being African champions. That’s football. It’s often cruel. We missed what for some was the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Senegal were eventually persuaded to return by Sadio Mane, who played a key leadership role in calming the situation. The Senegal captain went on to lift the AFCON trophy and was later named Man of the Competition, finishing the tournament with two goals and three assists in what he confirmed would be his final Africa Cup of Nations.