Moroccan court sentences 19 soccer fans to prison over hooliganism at chaotic Africa Cup final

By Canadian Press on February 19, 2026.

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan court on Thursday sentenced 19 soccer fans to up to a year in prison on charges of hooliganism stemming from a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal that saw supporters try to storm the field.

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

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

One defendant fainted upon hearing the sentences. Others refused to rise from the defendants’ bench when ordered to enter the small door leading to the holding cells. Family members, visibly shaken, insisted their relatives were innocent.

Attorneys said they plan to appeal the decision that they view as severe.

The defendants were arrested last month when outraged supporters tried to storm the pitch to protest a late penalty awarded to host Morocco during the final, which Senegal eventually won 1-0. They were held in custody for more than a month awaiting judgment.

During Thursday’s hearing, attended by Senegalese and French diplomats as well as relatives of several defendants, attorneys argued that the court lacked sufficient grounds to convict their clients.

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

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

The Associated Press