Morocco coach Walid Regragui denounced the «shameful» scenes that marred Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final, in which Senegal players left the field in protest late in the match before coming back in extra time to win.
«The image we gave of African football was quite shameful. It is not very stylish to have to interrupt the match for more than ten minutes while the world is watching,» Regragui said after the hosts’ dramatic 0-1 defeat in Rabat.
Morocco had a golden opportunity to win the trophy when they were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time at the end of regular time with the match still goalless.
Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded the penalty after a VAR check for a challenge on Brahim Diaz by Senegalese defender El Hadji Malick Diouf.
Senegalese players were outraged by the decision and several players walked off the field in disgust, while some angry Senegalese supporters threw objects and fought with stewards as they tried to enter the playing field.
The match was held up for almost twenty minutes before Diaz could take the kick, and his weakly chipped ‘Panenka’ was easily saved.
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The match then went to extra time and Pape Gueye’s stunning goal for Senegal proved to be the winner as they clinched the title for the second time.
«He had a lot of time before he took the penalty, which must have worried him,» Regragui said of Real Madrid winger Diaz, who had enjoyed an excellent tournament to that point.
«But we cannot change what happened. This is how he chose to take the penalty. We now have to look ahead.»
Morocco were desperate to win the title in front of their own fans and wanted to become African champions for the second time, half a century after they last lifted the continental trophy.
The defeat was the first for the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists since the country lost to South Africa in the last 16 of the last AFCON tournament in 2024.
The Atlas Lions were congratulated by Moroccan King Mohammed VI for their performance despite the defeat. They now have to prepare for the World Cup that starts in June in North America, in which they will play Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in the group stage.
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«Football is sometimes cruel and today we lost. We know that in a final you get few chances and you have to take advantage of them,» said Regragui, who played in the last Moroccan team to reach the final, when they lost to Tunisia in 2004.
«That penalty in the last seconds could have won us the title, but it wasn’t to be. We could talk for hours, but I hope this team comes back stronger. Now we know what it takes to reach a final – we hadn’t reached one for 22 years. We missed the opportunity of a lifetime.»
To make matters worse, Regragui said he feared striker Hamza Igamane may have suffered a torn cruciate ligament after leaving the game late.
Published on January 19, 2026
