Morocco hosted the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Twenty-four football teams competed from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. The host nation did a great job hosting a five-star tournament.
All was well till we got to the finals. Morocco and Senegal were the last two teams standing to compete for the trophy. Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr appeared to score, only for the goal to be disallowed by the referee. Later on, Abdoulaye Seck had fouled Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi. The referee consulted the Video Assistant Referee(VAR). It was a decision that clearly caused tension. After the penalty decision, the Senegalese coach was upset and ordered his players off the field. Some players went off the field. One of the people to remain was Sadio Mane. Mane was also able to convince his teammates to return and finish the game. This moment is a reminder of why this player is one of Africa’s most loved football players
The penalty taker missed the penalty after a failed Panenka attempt. With this, the formal game ended and we continued to extra time. The winning goal was scored by Pape Gueye.
A few days after the winning celebrations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Committee suspended the Senegalese coach and some of the players from a number of matches. The total fines were a huge amount of money, USD615,000.00
Sadio Mane
Sibonginkosi Moyo 