Jailed Senegal fans await a judge’s response after denying they were officiating at the Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco.
Published on 14 April 2026
Eighteen Senegalese football supporters convicted of pitch invasions during the chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat in January have denied any wrongdoing.
A Moroccan court in February sentenced 18 Senegalese football fans to three to 12 months in prison on hooliganism charges.
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Prosecutors sought a harsher sentence in Rabat’s appeals court, but the initial sentence was upheld on Monday.
The Senegalese argued that they were forced onto the field because of the growing crowd or to escape the spitting on them and projectiles thrown towards them.
He said this was not to protest the referee’s decision at the end of the controversial AFCON final on 18 January, which Senegal won 1–0. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko condemned the decision.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned Senegal’s victory last month and awarded the title to Morocco two months after the final.
The Senegalese Football Federation immediately instructed its lawyers Request Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Defense lawyer Naima El Guellaf asked on Monday that videos of the incidents be shown to the court to verify the identities of the 18 Senegalese.
It is a move rejected by the prosecution, which said the Senegalese were caught in the act.
It argued, “The entire world watched these horrific images live.”
The judge has not yet responded to a request to replay videos of the incidents.
“Mistakes were made; the people involved in what happened are currently in Senegal and are not present here,” another defense lawyer, Patrick Kabou, told AFP news agency.
