In a controversial media appearance, Pape Thiaw, coach of the Senegalese national team that withdrew from the final of the Africa Cup “Morocco 2025”, revisited the events by denying what had been observed and filmed: his withdrawal as a protest against the referee’s decision to award a penalty to the Moroccan team.
Pape Thiaw stated: “During the final of the Africa Cup, we partially left the field because it was not possible to continue the match under those conditions. There were disturbances in the stands caused by Moroccan supporters and some Senegalese supporters. We did not leave to protest against the referee’s decision.”
However, this version raises essential questions that cannot be ignored: how can Thiaw alter a reality unambiguously documented by video, through a narrative that contradicts what the whole world saw with its own eyes? And how does he explain the regulatory changes adopted by IFAB, the body that governs the Laws of the Game, which now penalizes both the team that withdraws and those who incite withdrawal, explicitly referencing the images from the Africa Cup of Nations final?
The withdrawal filmed by the 800 cameras at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, as well as the footage broadcast by international channels, leaves no room for interpretation. Therefore, Thiaw’s statements can only be understood as a version intended for internal consumption, far removed from a reality already documented before the global public and in the case currently submitted to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
