BREAKING: CAF BANS SENEGAL COACH PAPE THIAW FOR 5 MATCHES AND $100K
CAF has issued a five-game ban to Senegal manager Pape Thiaw following the dramatic 17-minute walk-off in the AFCON 2025 final.
Senegal manager Pape Thiaw faces a five-game ban after chaos broke out during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco.
Caf hit Thiaw with a $100,000 fine, calling out his “unsporting conduct” and saying he damaged the reputation of the game.
That final in Rabat on January 18 turned messy fast. Senegal led 1-0, but things fell apart when Morocco won a penalty in stoppage time. Thiaw, furious about an earlier foul called on Morocco’s captain Achraf Hakimi—just before Ismaila Sarr had scored—told his players to walk off.
The match stopped for 17 minutes. Eventually, Sadio Mane talked his teammates into coming back. When play resumed, Brahim Diaz tried a Panenka penalty, but Senegal’s Edouard Mendy saved it. Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala blew for full-time right after.
In extra time, Pape Gueye scored the decider, sealing Senegal’s second AFCON title in five years.
Caf didn’t stop with Thiaw. Iliman Ndiaye and Sarr got two-game bans for going after the referee, and the Senegal Football Federation took a massive $615,000 fine.
Morocco’s Ismael Saibari picked up a three-match ban and a $100,000 fine. Hakimi received a two-game ban, with one suspended for a year.
Morocco’s football federation tried to overturn the result because Senegal’s players left the field, but Caf’s disciplinary committee rejected the appeal.
All these bans only apply to CAF competitions, so they won’t affect World Cup qualifiers in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
The fines kept coming. Senegal’s federation got hit with $600,000—half for their players and staff’s behaviour, the other half for their fans. After the penalty call, some Senegal supporters clashed with security and tried to get onto the pitch.
CAF added another $15,000 fine for the five yellow cards Senegal picked up in the final.
Morocco’s federation wasn’t spared either. They got a $200,000 fine after ball boys at the stadium kept trying to swipe Mendy’s towel. Another $100,000 went on the bill because Morocco’s players and staff stormed the VAR area and disrupted the referee. Plus, there was a $15,000 fine for fans using lasers during the match.
The fallout didn’t end there. Algeria’s federation got slapped with $100,000 in fines for six Caf regulation breaches during their quarter-final loss to Nigeria. Half of that was for fans taunting officials and waving banknotes. They also paid $25,000 for their players’ and officials’ behaviour after the 2-0 defeat.
Algeria’s keeper, Luca Zidan,e got a two-game ban for misconduct, and right-back Rafik Belghali faces a four-game ban—two suspended for a year—for intimidating the referee after the final whistle.
Algeria’s fines kept stacking up: $10,000 for ignoring security, plus three separate $5,000 fines for objects thrown by fans, smoke devices in the stands, and five yellow cards in the match against Nigeria.
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
