Morocco’s 50-year wait goes on after the most chaotic AFCON final in history. Senegal walked off, Diaz missed, and now FIFA wants answers.
There’s a particular kind of silence that falls over a stadium when 66,000 people realise they’ve just witnessed something inexplicable. Not tragic, not heroic—just utterly baffling. That silence descended on the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Sunday night when Brahim Diaz, the golden boy of this tournament, the man who had scored in five consecutive games, kissed the ball, looked up at Edouard Mendy, and chipped a Panenka straight into his arms.
Morocco’s 50-year wait for an AFCON title? It continues. And the image that will define this tournament isn’t Pape Gueye’s brilliant winner in extra time. It’s Diaz, tears streaming down his face, being substituted four minutes later, unable to recover from what might be the worst penalty in the history of African football.
The 24th minute of stoppage time
Read that again. The 24th minute of stoppage time. That’s when Diaz finally stepped up to take the kick that should have delivered Morocco their first continental crown since 1976. By then, Senegal had already stormed off the pitch, journalists had started fighting in the press box, and Gianni Infantino was probably already drafting his Instagram condemnation in his head.
Let’s rewind. Deep into the eighth minute of added time, with the score at 0-0, Morocco won a corner. The ball came in, Diaz went down under minimal contact from El Hadji Malick Diouf, and referee Jean-Jacques Ndala pointed to the spot after consulting VAR. This came just minutes after Senegal had seen what they believed was a perfectly good header from Ismaila Sarr ruled out for a foul on Achraf Hakimi—a decision that remains, at best, contentious.
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw snapped. He ordered his players off the pitch. Most of them followed. The Lions of Teranga disappeared into the tunnel while Moroccan fans celebrated prematurely and security struggled to contain Senegalese supporters trying to storm the field.
Sadio Mane: the adult in the room
One man stayed behind. Sadio Mane, 33 years old, two AFCON titles now to his name, remained on the pitch talking to officials and Moroccan players while his teammates sulked in the dressing room. Eventually, he went in after them.
What happened inside that tunnel? According to teammate Lamine Camara, Mane came in “shouting, shouting at us to get out and go finish the match.” Camara added: “When Sadio speaks, everyone listens.”
Mane himself was blunt after the game. “I think it would be crazy to not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game? I think that would be the worst thing especially in African football. I’d rather lose than this kind of thing happen to our football.”
Sixteen minutes. That’s how long the game was stopped. Sixteen minutes for Diaz to stand there, ball in hand, 66,000 people whistling and screaming, the weight of five decades pressing down on his shoulders.
The Panenka question
So why did he try it?
Some have suggested it was deliberate—that Diaz, uncomfortable with winning through such controversy, chose to miss on purpose rather than claim a tainted title. It’s a romantic theory, but one that falls apart under scrutiny. Watch the footage: Diaz kissed the ball before placing it. He wanted this. He just got it catastrophically wrong.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui offered a more pragmatic explanation. “He’s the group’s first-choice penalty taker. The long break destabilised him. That doesn’t excuse the way he took the penalty. But we’re not going to back down. We’re going to take responsibility. It’s very tough. We were just a minute away from being African champions. Football is cruel sometimes.”
Mendy didn’t move. He didn’t have to. The ball floated—floated—into his arms like a pass back from a defender. The Chelsea goalkeeper simply caught it and waited for extra time to begin.
“My soul hurts”
Diaz’s Instagram statement the following day was raw. “My soul hurts. I dreamed of this title thanks to all the love you gave me, every message, every show of support that made me feel I wasn’t alone. I fought with everything I had, with my heart above all else. Yesterday I failed, and I take full responsibility. I apologise from the bottom of my heart.”
Reports from inside the Moroccan dressing room paint a grim picture. Diaz broke down in tears while apologising to his teammates. The man who had carried this team through the tournament—five goals, the Golden Boot—had become its tragic figure in a single moment of inexplicable decision-making.
Real Madrid teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold was watching on a livestream with his brother when it happened. He simply walked out of the shot, unable to process what he’d just seen.
And then Gueye struck
If anyone actually remembers the football, Senegal’s winner was a thing of beauty. Four minutes into extra time, Pape Gueye collected a pass from Idrissa Gana Gueye, drove into the Moroccan area, and hammered a left-footed shot into the top corner. It was the first goal Senegal had ever scored in an AFCON final—they’d won in 2022 on penalties against Egypt without finding the net in normal time.
“Today was the match where I had to give everything,” Mane said afterwards. “There were no excuses. I told myself that this match could be my last in the AFCON. There was no tomorrow, no day after tomorrow. It was today.”
He was named Player of the Tournament. Two titles in three editions. A résumé that now rivals any African footballer in history.
The fallout
The recriminations started before the trophy presentation had finished. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who had been in attendance, posted on Instagram within hours: “The ugly scenes witnessed must be condemned and never repeated. It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport.”
The Confederation of African Football condemned the “unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials” and confirmed disciplinary proceedings are underway.
Morocco’s football federation announced it would pursue legal action with both CAF and FIFA, arguing that Senegal’s walkout “significantly impacted the normal flow of the match and the players’ performance.” They’re not wrong about that, but whether it constitutes grounds for overturning the result is another matter entirely.
Thiaw, for his part, apologised. “After reflecting on it, I made them come back. You can react in the heat of the moment. We accept the errors of the referee. We shouldn’t have done it, but it’s done and now we present our apologies to football.”
What Morocco lost
Beyond the trophy, Morocco lost something less tangible on Sunday night. This tournament was supposed to be their audition for the 2030 World Cup, which they’ll co-host with Spain and Portugal. Mohamed Salah had praised the organisation as the best he’d ever experienced at an African tournament. The stadiums were full, the infrastructure gleamed, and the team delivered—right up until they didn’t.
Regragui was devastated. “The image we gave of African football was rather shameful. Having to stop the game for more than 10 minutes with the world watching is not very classy. What Pape did does not honour Africa.”
Harsh? Perhaps. But watching the final ten minutes of that match, it was hard to disagree. This was supposed to be African football’s moment to shine. Instead, the headlines are about walkouts, legal threats, and a Panenka that wasn’t.
Until 2027, then
Morocco will host the World Cup in four years. Diaz will return to Real Madrid this week, where he’ll have to face questions from teammates and a Spanish media that has not been kind. The next AFCON is in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2027. Morocco’s wait will reach 51 years by then.
Senegal, meanwhile, celebrate their second title in three tournaments. Mane adds another chapter to his legend. And somewhere in Rabat, a young boy who watched his hero kiss a ball and chip it into the goalkeeper’s arms is trying to understand why.
There is no good answer.
Morocco’s 50-year wait goes on after the most chaotic AFCON final in history. Senegal walked off, Diaz missed, and now FIFA wants answers.
There’s a particular kind of silence that falls over a stadium when 66,000 people realise they’ve just witnessed something inexplicable. Not tragic, not heroic—just utterly baffling. That silence descended on the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Sunday night when Brahim Diaz, the golden boy of this tournament, the man who had scored in five consecutive games, kissed the ball, looked up at Edouard Mendy, and chipped a Panenka straight into his arms.
Morocco’s 50-year wait for an AFCON title? It continues. And the image that will define this tournament isn’t Pape Gueye’s brilliant winner in extra time. It’s Diaz, tears streaming down his face, being substituted four minutes later, unable to recover from what might be the worst penalty in the history of African football.
The 24th minute of stoppage time
Read that again. The 24th minute of stoppage time. That’s when Diaz finally stepped up to take the kick that should have delivered Morocco their first continental crown since 1976. By then, Senegal had already stormed off the pitch, journalists had started fighting in the press box, and Gianni Infantino was probably already drafting his Instagram condemnation in his head.
Let’s rewind. Deep into the eighth minute of added time, with the score at 0-0, Morocco won a corner. The ball came in, Diaz went down under minimal contact from El Hadji Malick Diouf, and referee Jean-Jacques Ndala pointed to the spot after consulting VAR. This came just minutes after Senegal had seen what they believed was a perfectly good header from Ismaila Sarr ruled out for a foul on Achraf Hakimi—a decision that remains, at best, contentious.
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw snapped. He ordered his players off the pitch. Most of them followed. The Lions of Teranga disappeared into the tunnel while Moroccan fans celebrated prematurely and security struggled to contain Senegalese supporters trying to storm the field.
Sadio Mane: the adult in the room
One man stayed behind. Sadio Mane, 33 years old, two AFCON titles now to his name, remained on the pitch talking to officials and Moroccan players while his teammates sulked in the dressing room. Eventually, he went in after them.
What happened inside that tunnel? According to teammate Lamine Camara, Mane came in “shouting, shouting at us to get out and go finish the match.” Camara added: “When Sadio speaks, everyone listens.”
Mane himself was blunt after the game. “I think it would be crazy to not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game? I think that would be the worst thing especially in African football. I’d rather lose than this kind of thing happen to our football.”
Sixteen minutes. That’s how long the game was stopped. Sixteen minutes for Diaz to stand there, ball in hand, 66,000 people whistling and screaming, the weight of five decades pressing down on his shoulders.
The Panenka question
So why did he try it?
Some have suggested it was deliberate—that Diaz, uncomfortable with winning through such controversy, chose to miss on purpose rather than claim a tainted title. It’s a romantic theory, but one that falls apart under scrutiny. Watch the footage: Diaz kissed the ball before placing it. He wanted this. He just got it catastrophically wrong.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui offered a more pragmatic explanation. “He’s the group’s first-choice penalty taker. The long break destabilised him. That doesn’t excuse the way he took the penalty. But we’re not going to back down. We’re going to take responsibility. It’s very tough. We were just a minute away from being African champions. Football is cruel sometimes.”
Mendy didn’t move. He didn’t have to. The ball floated—floated—into his arms like a pass back from a defender. The Chelsea goalkeeper simply caught it and waited for extra time to begin.
“My soul hurts”
Diaz’s Instagram statement the following day was raw. “My soul hurts. I dreamed of this title thanks to all the love you gave me, every message, every show of support that made me feel I wasn’t alone. I fought with everything I had, with my heart above all else. Yesterday I failed, and I take full responsibility. I apologise from the bottom of my heart.”
Reports from inside the Moroccan dressing room paint a grim picture. Diaz broke down in tears while apologising to his teammates. The man who had carried this team through the tournament—five goals, the Golden Boot—had become its tragic figure in a single moment of inexplicable decision-making.
Real Madrid teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold was watching on a livestream with his brother when it happened. He simply walked out of the shot, unable to process what he’d just seen.
And then Gueye struck
If anyone actually remembers the football, Senegal’s winner was a thing of beauty. Four minutes into extra time, Pape Gueye collected a pass from Idrissa Gana Gueye, drove into the Moroccan area, and hammered a left-footed shot into the top corner. It was the first goal Senegal had ever scored in an AFCON final—they’d won in 2022 on penalties against Egypt without finding the net in normal time.
“Today was the match where I had to give everything,” Mane said afterwards. “There were no excuses. I told myself that this match could be my last in the AFCON. There was no tomorrow, no day after tomorrow. It was today.”
He was named Player of the Tournament. Two titles in three editions. A résumé that now rivals any African footballer in history.
The fallout
The recriminations started before the trophy presentation had finished. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who had been in attendance, posted on Instagram within hours: “The ugly scenes witnessed must be condemned and never repeated. It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport.”
The Confederation of African Football condemned the “unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials” and confirmed disciplinary proceedings are underway.
Morocco’s football federation announced it would pursue legal action with both CAF and FIFA, arguing that Senegal’s walkout “significantly impacted the normal flow of the match and the players’ performance.” They’re not wrong about that, but whether it constitutes grounds for overturning the result is another matter entirely.
Thiaw, for his part, apologised. “After reflecting on it, I made them come back. You can react in the heat of the moment. We accept the errors of the referee. We shouldn’t have done it, but it’s done and now we present our apologies to football.”
What Morocco lost
Beyond the trophy, Morocco lost something less tangible on Sunday night. This tournament was supposed to be their audition for the 2030 World Cup, which they’ll co-host with Spain and Portugal. Mohamed Salah had praised the organisation as the best he’d ever experienced at an African tournament. The stadiums were full, the infrastructure gleamed, and the team delivered—right up until they didn’t.
Regragui was devastated. “The image we gave of African football was rather shameful. Having to stop the game for more than 10 minutes with the world watching is not very classy. What Pape did does not honour Africa.”
Harsh? Perhaps. But watching the final ten minutes of that match, it was hard to disagree. This was supposed to be African football’s moment to shine. Instead, the headlines are about walkouts, legal threats, and a Panenka that wasn’t.
Until 2027, then
Morocco will host the World Cup in four years. Diaz will return to Real Madrid this week, where he’ll have to face questions from teammates and a Spanish media that has not been kind. The next AFCON is in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2027. Morocco’s wait will reach 51 years by then.
Senegal, meanwhile, celebrate their second title in three tournaments. Mane adds another chapter to his legend. And somewhere in Rabat, a young boy who watched his hero kiss a ball and chip it into the goalkeeper’s arms is trying to understand why.
There is no good answer.
