CAF has issued a slate of heavy suspensions and fines totalling more than $1 million. (X)
The dust has settled on the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, but the cost of the chaos that marred the showpiece event is only just being tallied. And it is steep.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has come down hard on both the newly crowned African champions, Senegal, and the hosts, Morocco, issuing a slate of heavy suspensions and fines totalling more than $1 million (approx. R15.7 million).
The sanctions, handed down by the CAF Disciplinary Board on Wednesday, paint a grim picture of a final that descended into a diplomatic and sporting brawl, overshadowing what was meant to be a celebration of African football.
The Champions Senegal Hit Hardest
While Senegal took the trophy home with a gritty 1-0 extra-time victory a fortnight ago in Rabat, their behaviour on the night has come at a premium. The Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF) has been ordered to pay fines totalling $615,000 (R9.6m) for a number of offences ranging from the “improper conduct” of supporters to the “unsporting behaviour” of the technical team.
The heaviest individual sanction fell on Senegal head coach Pape Bouna Thiaw. CAF found Thiaw guilty of conduct that “brought the game into disrepute,” slapping him with a five-match ban and a staggering $100,000 (R1.57m) fine.
It didn’t stop at the bench. On-field stars Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr have both been suspended for two official CAF matches for aggressive behaviour toward the referee, Jean-Jacques Ndala, a flashpoint that occurred during the match’s most controversial moment when a VAR-awarded penalty nearly saw the Senegalese squad walk off the pitch in protest.
Morocco, aiming to showcase their readiness for future global tournaments, found themselves in the dock for failures in match organisation and discipline. The Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) was fined a total of $315,000 (approx. R5.1m), a figure that includes a specific, humiliating $200,000 penalty for the “inappropriate behaviour of ball boys.”
Further compounding the hosts’ embarrassment, CAF sanctioned the FRMF for allowing players and technical staff to enter the VAR review area and obstruct the match officials, a direct violation of the integrity of the game.
On the pitch, the Atlas Lions lost more than just the match. Star defender Achraf Hakimi received a two-match ban (one year suspended) for unsporting behaviour. Midfielder Ismaël Saibari fared worse, hit with a three-match suspension and a personal fine of $100,000.
To add salt to the wound, the Disciplinary Board summarily rejected a protest lodged by Morocco regarding alleged violations by Senegal, effectively closing the book on the legal tussle.
Walking the Diplomatic Tightrope
The severity of the sanctions reflects the ugliness of the scenes in Rabat on Sunday, 18 January. Following the disputed penalty decision, tensions spilt from the pitch to the stands. Senegalese fans clashed with Moroccan security while attempting to invade the pitch, leading to 18 arrests.
The fallout forced a rapid diplomatic intervention. In a region where football and politics are often inextricably linked, the leaders of both nations moved quickly to ensure the “regrettable incidents” didn’t sever centuries-old ties.
Senegal’s Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, speaking from Rabat just a week after the final, described the events as “deplorable” and “painful” but urged the public not to overdramatise them. “The incidents should be understood as emotional excesses fuelled by passion, rather than as political or cultural rifts,” Sonko said during a joint commission meeting.
It was a delicate balancing act. While Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye congratulated his team and thanked Morocco for hosting, Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch notably stopped short of congratulating Senegal on the title, though he emphasised the strong fraternity between the two nations. Senegal remains a key ally for Morocco, particularly regarding sovereignty disputes over Western Sahara.
King Mohammed VI, trying to salvage the narrative of a successful tournament, insisted the chaos would not undermine “African fraternity.”
However, with legal action still being pursued by the Moroccan federation and FIFA President Gianni Infantino publicly condemning the behaviour of the Senegalese camp, the 2025 AFCON final will likely be remembered less for the football played and more for the heavy price paid in its aftermath.