The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided to suspend the Lions’ coach, Pape Thiaw, along with two of his players, Illiman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr, following the incidents during the controversial final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. This match, won by Senegal against Morocco (1-0) on January 18, was marked by tumultuous officiating from Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo, a Congolese referee.
According to CAF, the coach and the two players displayed “inappropriate behavior” during the match. As a result, Pape Thiaw has been handed a five-match suspension, while Illiman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr will miss two matches each.
These sanctions apply only to African competitions organized by CAF, meaning none of the three will miss the World Cup. This decision is a relief for the Lions of Teranga and their supporters. The suspensions will take effect during the qualifiers for the 2027 AFCON, set to take place in June and July 2027 in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The two players will return to the CAF fields during the third round of qualifiers, while Pape Thiaw will make his comeback in the sixth round.
So, while the Lions will have to do without their coach and two of their attackers for some matches, this suspension does not jeopardize their participation in the World Cup, which is fantastic news for Senegal.
