Senegal criticizes lack of ‘fair play’ before facing host Morocco in Africa Cup final

By Canadian Press on January 17, 2026.

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Senegal has complained about the treatment of its national soccer team in Morocco ahead of Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final against the host.

The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) issued a statement in the early hours of Saturday criticizing a lack of security arrangements for the team’s arrival in Rabat, problems with the accommodation, issues with training facilities, and difficulties getting a fair ticket allocation for its supporters.

It called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the local organizing committee to “immediately take every corrective measure to guarantee respect for the principles of fair play, equal treatment, and security indispensable for the success of this celebration of African football.”

CAF response

CAF responded later Saturday to say its work with the local organizing committee “has ensured that all teams are subjected to the same conditions.”

CAF said it “noted” the FSF statement about logistics, granted it the opportunity to select a team hotel, passed on to the organizing committee its request for an alternative training field, and stated the FSF was given its quota of tickets for the final.

Chaotic scenes

Senegal players traveled by train from Tangier to Rabat on Friday but found what the federation said was a “clear lack of adequate security measures” upon their arrival. Social media videos showed the players and staff surrounded by crowds of people jostling to get selfies and photos as they attempted to make their way to the team bus.

“We have to say what happened is abnormal, abnormal. For a team like Senegal to be left with the crowd like that, the players were in danger. Anything could have happened through the actions of malicious people,” Senegal coach Pape Thiaw said Saturday at the pre-final news conference.

Anger boiled over during the conference when a Moroccan journalist suggested CAF was to blame for the shortcomings and not the local organizing committee. Senegalese media objected to his comment.

The federation said the lack of security at the train station “exposed the players and technical staff to overcrowding and risks incompatible with the standards of a competition of this magnitude and the prestige of a continental final.”

Hotel and training issues

The federation said it had to file a formal written complaint to get adequate hotel accommodation for the team in Rabat. It did not describe the condition of the accommodation the team was first offered.

The federation said it notified CAF of its “categorical refusal” to hold team trainings at the Mohammed VI Complex, which is where Morocco has been based for the whole tournament. Morocco was to train there also Saturday.

The federation said it “raises a question of sporting fairness.” The Olympic Stadium was finally announced as the training venue 1 1/2 hours before the scheduled practice.

The federation said the ticketing situation was “concerning.” It was able to purchase only 2,850 tickets for its supporters, the maximum according to limits authorized by CAF.

The federation called the allocation “insufficient given the demand” and it “deplores the imposed restrictions, which penalize the Senegalese public.”

The capacity at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium is 69,500 fans. Morocco has been buoyed by vociferous support in all its games so far.

Morocco is bidding to end a 50-year wait for its second Africa Cup title.

Senegal’s plea

Senegal, which won the 2021 trophy, is also going for its second title.

“Up to today, the organization was great, it’s being talked about all over the world, and a big thank you to Morocco for this wonderful organization. They’ve really raised the bar for calmness, and let’s hope it continues” Thiaw said. ”But after what happened yesterday … it shouldn’t happen again. It’s the image of Africa … I’m not speaking as a Senegalese coach I’m speaking as an African. And I’m speaking on behalf of Africans. And once we get out of this we’re going to focus on this final. We want to bring home this trophy.”

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AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press