SENEGAL are set to be sanctioned for walking off the field on Sunday during their match against hosts Morocco in protest at a penalty award in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

The team were led off the field by head coach Pape Thiaw after Morocco were awarded a penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time following a VAR review, seconds after Senegal had a goal ruled out.

Play finally resumed 16 minutes later when the players returned to the field, with Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missing the penalty and Senegal going on to win the match in extra-time thanks to a spectacular strike from Pape Gueye.

Their celebrations will be tempered by the likelihood of disciplinary consequences for the walk-off, with tournament organisers the Confederation of African Football (CAF) slamming the incident.

“CAF condemns the unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night,” a statement from the confederation said.

“CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organisers.

“CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty.”

Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane seemed most reluctant to join the protest and said his country would have been “crazy” not to finish the game.

“It would have been a shame and sad to see this kind of scenario happen,” Mane told reporters about the possibility that the game might be abandoned.

“Just imagine for a second going into the locker rooms and the football match stopping there.

“I think that would convey a negative image of our football. I think Africa today does not deserve that.”

Thiaw apologised after the game for taking the Senegal players off the field.

“After reflecting on it, I made them come back [onto the pitch] — you can react in the heat of the moment,” Thiaw told beIN Sports.

“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.”

The chaotic match was the latest incident that has marred Morocco’s prospects as 2030 World Cup co-host. The hosts seemed to benefit from favourable refereeing throughout the tournament, while its image as a good host was somewhat spoiled by the deafening whistles opposing teams faced from the Moroccan fans in the 69,500-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, where the home side played all its games.

And before the final, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) strongly condemned local authorities for how its team had been treated upon its arrival in Rabat for the match. FSF had issued a statement in the early hours of Saturday morning in which it criticised an alleged lack of security arrangements for the team’s arrival in Rabat, problems with the team’s accommodation, issues with the training facilities, and difficulties getting a fair ticket allocation for its supporters.

Morocco is a main co-host for the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. It still harbours hopes of hosting the final in the under-construction Hassan II Stadium, set to be the largest football arena in the world with a capacity of 115,000 after its planned completion in 2028.