Soccer Football – CAF Africa Cup of Nations – Morocco 2025 – Final – Senegal v Morocco – Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco – January 18, 2026 Senegal fans react in the stand after Morocco were awarded a penalty following a VAR review. Image@ REUTERS/Stringer
Senegalese football fans who had been languishing in Moroccan jails since January arrived home to a hero’s welcome on Sunday, hours after King Mohammed VI issued a royal pardon freeing the last of 18 supporters convicted of hooliganism during the contentious 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was at the airport outside Dakar to personally receive the jubilant supporters on their return. Earlier, Faye had personally appealed to King Mohammed VI for the pardon, and thanked the monarch for a decision he described as “imbued with clemency and humanity.”
Morocco’s royal palace announced the pardon on Saturday, saying it was granted in recognition of “the age-old fraternal ties” between the two countries and “on the occasion of the advent of Eid al-Adha.” The Muslim holiday falls on Wednesday in Morocco. The royal statement added that through the decision, King Mohammed VI “reaffirms the deep bonds of friendship, brotherhood and cooperation uniting the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Senegal,” reflecting what it called core Moroccan values of “clemency, benevolence, generosity and a spirit of tolerance.”
The fans’ ordeal stems from chaos that engulfed the AFCON final at Rabat’s Moulay Abdellah Stadium on January 18. Tensions erupted after Morocco was awarded a late penalty deep into stoppage time — just after a Senegal goal had been disallowed — prompting some Senegalese supporters to attempt to invade the pitch while others hurled projectiles at stewards and security forces. Senegal’s players walked off the field in protest but returned after about 14 minutes. Morocco’s Brahim Diaz had his penalty kick saved, and Senegal went on to win 1-0.
CAF Africa Cup of Nations – Morocco 2025 – Final – Senegal v Morocco – Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco – January 18, 2026 Senegal fan clashes with security as fans invade the pitch after Morocco were awarded a penalty following a VAR review. Image@ REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
According to the Moroccan public prosecutor’s office, charges against the 18 supporters were based mainly on stadium camera footage and medical certificates for injured law enforcement officers and stewards, with material damage from the violence estimated at more than 370,000 euros (around $430,000). Moroccan courts sentenced the fans to prison terms ranging from three months to a year, with three released in mid-April after completing the shortest sentences, leaving 15 still incarcerated before the king’s pardon.
The legal saga unfolded against a bitter sporting dispute. Despite Senegal’s on-field victory, the Confederation of African Football overturned the result by administrative ruling on March 17, awarding the 2025 AFCON title to Morocco. Senegal have since appealed that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, football’s highest legal authority. Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko had told parliament the handling of the case “does not honour” relations between the two countries, warning that “for two countries that call each other friends, like Morocco and Senegal, things should not have gone this far.”
The two nations share a long history of cooperation spanning tourism, energy and religious ties, and the royal pardon appears aimed at drawing a line under a dispute that had strained one of Africa’s most enduring bilateral relationships.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah