Africa's flagship football tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), was marred by controversy and chaos in the final between Morocco and Senegal. The game, which promised much, ended in farce as two high-quality teams clashed in a match that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
The evening started out well enough, with both sides creating scoring opportunities, but as added time entered, the tension began to build. It was in these final moments that Ismaila Sarr's goal was disallowed after he had put Senegal up 1-0. The decision, made by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, sparked outrage among Senegal's players and coach Pape Thiaw.
As play resumed, the scene quickly descended into chaos. Morocco's Brahim Diaz was awarded a penalty in stoppage time after a VAR review, which many believed was a harsh call. In an attempt to score, Diaz attempted a Panenka chip but ended up clipping the ball straight into Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's arms.
Despite this embarrassing moment for the Moroccan player and team, the match was far from over. With Senegal pushing hard to equalize, Pape Gueye scored the winning goal in extra time, securing Senegal's second AFCON title. However, the victory was overshadowed by the ugly scenes that followed - objects were thrown at the stadium, fans invaded the pitch, and coaches clashed with officials.
The fallout from this disastrous final has been swift and severe. FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned the "ugly scenes" and stated that violence cannot be tolerated in football. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is likely to hand out severe disciplinary measures to the players, coaches, and fans involved in the disturbances.
The reputation of African football hangs in the balance after this disastrous final, which promises to be remembered for years to come as an embarrassing chapter in the sport's history. As Infantino so aptly put it, "the decisions taken by the match officials must always be respected." It remains to be seen what measures CAF will take to rectify the situation and restore the dignity of African football.
For Senegal, a long-awaited victory was finally within their grasp, but it came at a cost. The team's reputation as one of the top teams in Africa has been severely damaged by this chaotic final. On the other hand, Morocco fans can only wonder what could have been, especially after investing so much time and resources into hosting this year's tournament.
In the end, the AFCON 2025 final was a sobering reminder that football is not just about the players on the pitch but also about the fans and officials involved. As Infantino said, "violence cannot be tolerated in our sport." It remains to be seen how CAF will respond to this call to action and whether African football can recover from this disastrous final.
The evening started out well enough, with both sides creating scoring opportunities, but as added time entered, the tension began to build. It was in these final moments that Ismaila Sarr's goal was disallowed after he had put Senegal up 1-0. The decision, made by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, sparked outrage among Senegal's players and coach Pape Thiaw.
As play resumed, the scene quickly descended into chaos. Morocco's Brahim Diaz was awarded a penalty in stoppage time after a VAR review, which many believed was a harsh call. In an attempt to score, Diaz attempted a Panenka chip but ended up clipping the ball straight into Senegal's goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's arms.
Despite this embarrassing moment for the Moroccan player and team, the match was far from over. With Senegal pushing hard to equalize, Pape Gueye scored the winning goal in extra time, securing Senegal's second AFCON title. However, the victory was overshadowed by the ugly scenes that followed - objects were thrown at the stadium, fans invaded the pitch, and coaches clashed with officials.
The fallout from this disastrous final has been swift and severe. FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned the "ugly scenes" and stated that violence cannot be tolerated in football. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is likely to hand out severe disciplinary measures to the players, coaches, and fans involved in the disturbances.
The reputation of African football hangs in the balance after this disastrous final, which promises to be remembered for years to come as an embarrassing chapter in the sport's history. As Infantino so aptly put it, "the decisions taken by the match officials must always be respected." It remains to be seen what measures CAF will take to rectify the situation and restore the dignity of African football.
For Senegal, a long-awaited victory was finally within their grasp, but it came at a cost. The team's reputation as one of the top teams in Africa has been severely damaged by this chaotic final. On the other hand, Morocco fans can only wonder what could have been, especially after investing so much time and resources into hosting this year's tournament.
In the end, the AFCON 2025 final was a sobering reminder that football is not just about the players on the pitch but also about the fans and officials involved. As Infantino said, "violence cannot be tolerated in our sport." It remains to be seen how CAF will respond to this call to action and whether African football can recover from this disastrous final.
and morocco fans are gonna be so salty about not winning it 
brahim diaz is a good player but panenka chip fail 
gotta give props to pape gueye tho, what a finish! 
anyway i think caf should just take some time to figure out what's going on with their refereeing and also make sure fans are educated about the consequences of violence during matches 
. The AFCON final was supposed to be a thrilling match, but instead it turned into a total farce 
️. Those ugly scenes on the pitch were just unacceptable 
. I mean, who throws objects at the stadium? Fans invading the pitch? It's just not right 
. And that VAR call in stoppage time was so harsh 
. You can't just change the rules like that mid-game 
.
. The reputation of the sport is at stake here 
. I hope CAF takes some serious action against those responsible for the disturbances 
. It's not just about the players on the pitch, but about the fans and officials involved too 
.
. They played a great game, but it wasn't exactly the kind of victory I wanted to see 
️. And for Morocco... well, they just can't be happy with how things went down 
. All in all, this final will go down as one of the worst in AFCON history 
.
But then Ismaila Sarr's goal got taken away from him after VAR said he didn't quite get it right 
It's like the whole game was just one big mess 
And to make matters worse, people started throwing objects at the stadium and fans invaded the pitch... that's some crazy stuff 
The sport should be about the love of the game, not about fighting and chaos 
I'm just wondering what CAF will do to address this whole thing... are they going to hand out harsh punishments? 
The AFCON 2025 final was like something out of a bad soap opera - drama, controversy, and just plain chaos 
. Morocco fans must be devastated, they invested so much time and resources into hosting this tournament and it ended up being a disaster 
.
. The whole system needs to be overhauled, it's embarrassing 
. Can't wait to see how CAF responds and if they can salvage what's left of African football's reputation 
.
morocco fans are gonna be crying for years about that one 
but honestly can we talk about how poorly the forum handles these kinda issues 
just a bunch of confusion all around 
i mean im no fan of violence but come on guys let's get some constructive feedback instead of just blaming everyone 
It's like we're forgetting that behind every beautiful goal, there are real people with real emotions and real pressures. We need to take a step back, breathe, and remember what this game's really about 
what a way to end the AFCON 2025... all that hype and drama just for nothing. Senegal's win is sweet, but at what cost? Their reputation took a hit due to all the chaos on the pitch 
. It's a shame 'cause this tournament was supposed to be all about football, not rioting 
. The future of African football is at stake now 
.