AFCON 2025 Final: Nineteen fans jailed for hooliganism during Morocco vs Senegal

A Moroccan court on Thursday sentenced 19 football fans to up to a year in prison on charges of hooliganism following the chaotic African Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal, in which supporters tried to storm the pitch.

After a hearing that lasted more than five hours, the president ruled that the fans – 18 Senegalese and a French national – were guilty of more than half a dozen charges, including damaging sports facilities and committing violence during a sporting event.

Eleven people were sentenced to one year in prison and a $550 fine. Four were sentenced to six months and fined $218. The remaining four were sentenced to three months and fined $130, lawyer Naima El Guellaf said The Associated Press.

One suspect fainted upon hearing the sentences.

Others refused to get up from the defendants’ bench when ordered to enter the small door leading to the cells. Family members, visibly shaken, insisted their relatives were innocent.

Lawyers said they plan to appeal the decision, which they consider serious.

The defendants were arrested last month when outraged supporters tried to storm the pitch in protest against hosts Morocco’s late penalty during the final, which Senegal eventually won 1-0. They were held in custody for over a month awaiting sentencing.

During Thursday’s hearing, which was attended by Senegalese and French diplomats and relatives of several defendants, lawyers argued that the court had insufficient grounds to convict their clients.

The prosecutor demanded the maximum penalties against the fans, arguing that they had disrupted the orderly conduct of the match. He added that damage was estimated at more than $476,719.

Morocco has long suffered episodes of football-related hooliganism and courts in the North African country routinely hear cases related to such incidents. However, this case was unusual in that it only involved foreigners.

The verdicts marked the latest development to emerge from a finale that prompted senior officials in both countries to urge peace and brotherhood amid social media tensions and a wave of what Moroccan rights groups described as «hate speech.»

Last month, CAF, Africa’s football governing body, imposed $1 million in fines and bans on Senegal and Morocco over the tumultuous match. Morocco has announced that it plans to appeal the decision as it considers the sanctions disproportionate to the incidents.

The match was marred by Senegalese players leaving the pitch and protesting a penalty awarded to Morocco in stoppage time. Outraged Senegalese fans threw chairs onto the pitch and fought with stewards before police arrived.

The match and its outcome prompted senior officials in both countries to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties they described as «strong and historic» in an effort to prevent the game from straining bilateral ties.

The Senegalese Prime Minister visited Morocco and signed agreements aimed at boosting investments in sectors such as agriculture and mining. The two African countries are important economic partners. Senegal is heavily indebted and looking for investors, while Morocco is injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the West African country’s economy.

Published on February 20, 2026