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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has handed Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw a five-match suspension and a $100,000 fine following disciplinary breaches during the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, after he ordered his players to walk off the pitch in protest of a refereeing decision.
CAF’s Disciplinary Committee said the sanction was for “unsporting conduct”, marking one of the strongest punishments issued against a national team coach in recent tournament history.
In a sweeping set of rulings, CAF also fined the Senegalese Football Federation $615,000, citing player misconduct and the behavior of supporters during the final. Senegal players Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr were each suspended for two CAF matches for actions directed at the referee.
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Morocco, the tournament host nation, was also penalized heavily. CAF imposed fines totaling $315,000 on the Moroccan federation for multiple violations, including: Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi received a two-match CAF suspension, with one match suspended for 12 months, while Ismael Saibari was banned for three CAF matches. The sanctions stemmed from an incident in which both players attempted to remove a pitch-side towel used by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy during heavy rain in Rabat.
The controversy erupted late in the final after a Senegal goal was disallowed, prompting Thiaw to instruct his players to leave the field in protest. The walk-off caused a 14-minute delay in play.
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Shortly after the match resumed, Morocco were awarded a penalty. However, Brahim Díaz missed the spot-kick, keeping the score level.
Despite the disruption, Senegal went on to secure victory in extra time, with Pape Gueye scoring the decisive goal to claim the Cup of Nations title.
CAF confirmed that Morocco’s appeal to overturn the result — based on the pitch walk-off incident — was formally rejected, with the Disciplinary Committee ruling that the match outcome would stand.
The sanctions bring a turbulent close to what CAF had previously described as a commercially successful Africa Cup of Nations, which generated record revenues for the governing body.
CAF said the disciplinary actions were intended to reinforce standards of conduct and preserve the integrity of major continental competitions, particularly during high-stakes finals.
