By TAMARA PRENN, SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
Published: 16:12 EST, 18 January 2026 | Updated: 16:40 EST, 18 January 2026
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw directed his players off the pitch and back onto the bench in apparent protest over a late penalty awarded to Morocco in the dying minutes of the AFCON final.
Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz went down tussling for the ball in the box, with the referee Jean-Jacques Ndala and VAR taking their time over the decision to award the spot kick.
After consulting the monitor, Morocco - the host nation - were awarded the penalty, but the decision over whether it was deserved boiled over into a row between players and coaches - with Thiaw then calling his players off the pitch.
Former Liverpool icon Sadio Mane appealed to his team-mates as they made their way down the tunnel, with some wavering over whether they should leave or not.
Mane eventually departed by the tunnel, and was seen sprinting towards the dressing room.
After a few minutes earlier, Senegal had what they believed to be a late winner from Ismaila Sarr chalked off for a foul in the build-up, further adding to the feeling of bad luck amongst the side when Diaz was downed by El Hadji Malick Diouf.
Pape Thiaw called his players off the pitch in an extraordinary protest in the AFCON final
Senegal were incensed after Morocco were awarded a contentious penalty in the dying minutes of normal time
During the melee, scores of Senegal fans even made their way onto the pitch, breaking through the advertising boards before they were rounded up by riot police.
Senegal were later convinced back onto the pitch, with the penalty kick eventually taken by Diaz in the 113th minute - 17 minutes after he was fouled.
The 26-year-old stepped up to the spot but missed with an underpowered effort that flew straight into Edouard Mendy's gloves.
Ndala added a number of Senegalese players to the book in the midst of melee, with Sarr and Diouf both booked for their part in the fury that following the awarding of the penalty.
As Mendy came out of the dressing room with his team-mates after taking part in Thiaw's protest, he too was handed a yellow card for arguing with the referee.
But it was Diaz who seemed most impacted by the extraordinary scenes, compelled to attempt a Paneka that had no hope of bypassing the former Chelsea goalkeeper.
Diaz was quickly surrounded by his team-mates as Ndala blew up for the end of the 90 minutes, and appeared to be on the brink of tears after squandering his chance of netting the winner.
Diaz's manager Walid Regragui, who had gone to lengths to calm his opposite number Thiaw before he whisked his players down the tunnel, did not cut a sympathetic figure however, with his side now forced to endure extra time - and within the opening five minutes after the restart, Pape Gueye scored for Senegal.
Tempers boiled over as members of Thiaw's squad clashed with the Morocco bench as they waited on the referee's decision
Morocco are attempting to claim the title in front of home fans in Rabat on Sunday night
Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz went down with some theatricality after tussling with El Hadji Malick Diouf
Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala handed out a slew of yellow cards for Senegalese and Moroccan stars on the pitch
At the other end of the ground, Senegalese fans spilled out of the stands in their own protest
Fans clashed with riot police as the match paused for a staggering 17 minutes before the start
Diaz eventually stepped up to the spot but his weak effort landed straight in the hands of Edouard Mendy
Pundits including Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel were left aghast by the protest - but also stressed that they believed the penalty decision was unjustified.
'I can understand their frustration,' Obi Mikel said on E4. 'But walking off the pitch is not what I want to see.'
Former Nigeria striker Efan Ekoku added: 'You cannot do that. However aggrieved you feel... I have got some sympathy, but this is not a good look.
'I think it was foolish and reckless by El Hadji Malick Diouf, but the decision has been made and the players have to abide by that. Whatever happens now is not a good look for African football.'
On the penalty, he wondered 'what Brahim Diaz (was) doing' and called him 'too clever for his own good.'
'To do that is absolutely ridiculous. He may never ever get another chance to score a winning goal in an AFCON final,' he continued.