Several weeks after the CAN 2025 final, won by Senegal against Morocco, 18 Senegalese supporters remain imprisoned in the Moroccan kingdom.
To protest this detention, Senegalese citizens organized a demonstration in Dakar on Saturday, February 28. The participants were protesting against the incarceration of their compatriots, accused of “hooliganism” during the Africa Cup of Nations final, which took place in mid-January.
“Free the hostages!” chanted the demonstrators, holding up signs with the same message.
On February 19, the Rabat court sentenced the 18 supporters to prison terms ranging from three months to one year. Moroccan authorities held them responsible for acts of violence against law enforcement, partial field invasion, and throwing projectiles during the match.
The march, stretching about 1.5 km in a northern Dakar neighborhood, took place without incident under police supervision and gathered nearly 250 people, according to a police source.
This week, Senegal’s Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, expressed his disapproval of these sentences. “It feels like this case goes beyond the realm of sports, and that’s regrettable. For two countries that claim to be friends, like Morocco and Senegal, it shouldn’t have come to this,” he stated before the National Assembly.
The final on January 18 turned chaotic when a penalty was awarded to Morocco in stoppage time, with the score at 0-0. Some Senegalese players left the field, while supporters attempted to storm the pitch and threw projectiles. In the end, Senegal triumphed 1-0 after extra time.
