Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has confirmed that his request for a royal pardon for Senegalese supporters jailed after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat was turned down by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
Speaking at a press conference, Faye said he wrote to the Moroccan king to congratulate him on hosting the tournament and to ask for clemency for the detained fans. “I asked the King of Morocco for forgiveness for our supporters,” he stated. According to Faye, the appeal covered legal, diplomatic, and religious channels, including outreach through the Tijaniyya Sufi order, but received no positive response.
The case involves 18 Senegalese supporters arrested during violent clashes at the AFCON final on January 18, 2026, at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. The match, which ended 1-0 to Senegal in extra time, was disrupted after a late penalty was awarded to Morocco and Senegal players briefly walked off in protest. Fan unrest followed, with pitch invasions and clashes with security forces.
In February, a Rabat court convicted the 18 fans on charges of hooliganism, violence against police, and damage to sports equipment. The Rabat Court of Appeal later upheld the sentences, which range from three months to one year in prison, along with fines of up to MAD 5,000 ($500). Nine fans received one-year terms, six got six months, and three were given three months. A French national of Algerian origin was also sentenced to three months for throwing a bottle.
Faye said Senegal tried “every possible way” to secure the release of the supporters. “We tried through courts, diplomacy, even religious channels like the Tijaniyya order, but nothing worked,” he said. “If all of this changes nothing, what else can be done? If there is another way, let us be told.”
Three supporters who received the shortest sentences have since completed their terms and returned to Dakar after stopping at a Tijaniyya lodge in Fez. The remaining 15 are still in custody.
The jailing of the fans has strained relations between the two West African neighbors. Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko called the sentences “incomprehensibly harsh” and said the matter had gone “beyond the realm of sport.” The Senegal Football Federation and several players have also voiced support, calling for fairness and due process…See More
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