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Senegal Coach Pape Thiaw Hit With Five-Match Ban After Chaotic AFCON Final

Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has been handed a five-match suspension by Confederation of African Football following the dramatic and controversial scenes that marred the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco national football team earlier this month.

CAF confirmed that Thiaw was also fined $100,000 after being found guilty of unsporting conduct and actions deemed to have brought the game into disrepute. The sanctions stem from the final played on 18 January in Rabat, a match Senegal ultimately won 1–0 after extra time to secure their second continental crown in five years.

Tensions escalated deep into stoppage time when Morocco were awarded a penalty shortly after Senegal believed they had taken the lead through Ismaila Sarr. Furious at the referee’s decision to penalize a foul on Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, Thiaw instructed his players to leave the pitch in protest, triggering a delay of approximately 17 minutes. Order was only restored when Sadio Mane intervened and persuaded his teammates to return.

Morocco’s Brahim Díaz saw his audacious Panenka penalty saved by Édouard Mendy before the referee brought the match to a close moments later. Senegal then sealed victory in extra time through Pape Gueye’s decisive strike.

CAF’s disciplinary rulings extended beyond the Senegal bench. Iliman Ndiaye and Sarr were each banned for two matches, while Senegal’s football federation received fines totaling $615,000, reflecting both technical staff misconduct and crowd disturbances. Several supporters attempted to breach security and access the pitch following the disputed penalty decision.

Morocco were also heavily sanctioned. The Moroccan federation was fined $200,000 for ball-boy misconduct, with additional penalties imposed for interference with the VAR area, the use of laser pointers by supporters, and confrontations involving players and officials. Hakimi received a two-match ban, one of which is suspended, while Ismael Saibari was banned for three matches.

CAF rejected Morocco’s appeal to overturn the result, confirming that all sanctions apply solely to CAF competitions and will not affect preparations for the upcoming World Cup in North America.

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