Key Points

• Regragui says Senegal’s walk-off during the AFCON final penalty drama embarrassed African football.

• A late VAR penalty caused a 20-minute delay before Morocco missed their chance to win.

• Senegal regrouped in extra time and sealed the title with a Pape Gueye strike.

Morocco coach Walid Regragui has criticised Senegal and their head coach, Pape Thiaw, over what he called “shameful” behaviour during the closing moments of the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday. He said the scenes “did not honour Africa.”

His comments came after a tense and chaotic ending to the final, which Senegal went on to win after extra time. The flashpoint was a late penalty awarded to Morocco while the game was still goalless.

Penalty Chaos And A Long Delay

Deep into stoppage time, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty after a VAR review showed Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf fouling Brahim Diaz.

The decision triggered angry protests from Senegal’s players, who walked off the pitch after being led away by Thiaw.

The match was stopped for nearly 20 minutes before Diaz eventually took the penalty. His chipped effort was easily saved, sending the game into extra time.

Senegal later won the title through a long-range strike by Pape Gueye, securing their second AFCON crown.

Speaking after the match, Regragui said Senegal’s reaction made Africa look bad.

“The image we gave of Africa was shameful,” he said. “A coach asking his players to leave the pitch. What Pape did does not honour Africa.”

Regragui also took a swipe at Thiaw’s pre-match comments, saying he lacked class, even though he acknowledged Senegal’s coach as a champion.

He admitted the long delay did not help Diaz, but he refused to use it as an excuse for the missed penalty.

“We stopped the match in front of the whole world for about 10 minutes. That didn’t help Brahim,” he said. “But it doesn’t excuse the way he took the penalty.

We were one minute away from being African champions. Football can be cruel. That chance was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for some players.”

Senegal Responds As Regragui Plays Down Exit Calls

Senegal’s match-winner, Pape Gueye, defended his team’s actions, saying they felt wronged by the referee’s decision.

“We felt there was an injustice,” Gueye said. “There had been a foul for us earlier and the referee didn’t check VAR. We were frustrated.”

He added that captain Sadio Mané urged the players to return to the pitch and refocus.

“We came back to give everything, and that’s what we did,” he said.

Despite leading Morocco on a 26-game unbeaten run since their historic World Cup semi-final appearance, Regragui faced criticism after the loss, with some journalists calling for his resignation. He brushed off the calls and asked for patience.

“Winning the Africa Cup isn’t easy,” he said. “We were very close, and everyone is disappointed. In football, you accept what happened, stay humble, and come back stronger.”