Senegal stars accused of ‘practicing magic’ to win AFCON final vs Morocco | Football | Sport
A Moroccan politician has accused the Senegal players of ‘practicing magic’ during the contentious Africa Cup of Nations final. Senegal triumphantly hoisted the AFCON trophy after a tumultuous and incident-riddled final in Rabat on Sunday night. The Lions of Teranga believed they had clinched the victory in the final moments, only for Ismaila Sarr’s goal to be disallowed due to a seemingly soft foul in the lead-up.
The tide seemed to turn in Morocco’s favour when referee Jean Jacques Ndala awarded them a similarly harsh penalty after El Hadji Malick Diouf fouled Brahim Diaz. In an extraordinary turn of events, Senegal manager Pape Thiaw led his team off the pitch, with some players retreating to the dressing room. This resulted in a near 20-minute delay before the players returned and Diaz attempted to secure the trophy for the hosts.
However, former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved Diaz’s audacious panenka attempt, pushing the game into extra time where Pape Gueye’s superb strike secured glory for Senegal.
Moroccans have not taken the defeat lightly, with a parliamentary video purportedly showing a Moroccan deputy demanding that the referee be held accountable and tried for resuming the match after Senegal left the field, rather than calling off the game and defaulting the trophy to the hosts.
The politician is also alleged to have accused Senegal of ‘practicing magic’ upon their return to the changing room before Diaz’s penalty kick.
The tension between the two nations extended beyond the final whistle, with Moroccan players and ball boys allegedly attempting to snatch Mendy’s towel. Thiaw abruptly left his post-match press conference after being met with boos and jeers from Moroccan journalists.
