THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) has delivered its most emphatic statement on discipline in recent memory, imposing crushing financial penalties and lengthy suspensions on players, coaches and federations following the chaotic breakdown of order that marred the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
In sanctions that totaled over $1 million in fines and saw multiple suspensions handed down, CAF’s Disciplinary Board made clear that the disgraceful scenes in Rabat on January 18 – when Senegal’s squad temporarily abandoned the pitch in protest and near-riots threatened to engulf the continental showpiece – represented an unacceptable breach that demanded severe consequences.
The heaviest individual punishment fell on Senegal head coach Pape Bouna Thiaw, who received a five-match ban and $100,000 fine for unsporting conduct and bringing the game into disrepute. The sanction effectively sidelines him from crucial upcoming CAF competition matches as his federation faces a reckoning over its role in the final’s descent into pandemonium.
Senegal bore the brunt of CAF’s disciplinary fury, with the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football slapped with $615,000 in total fines – the largest portion, $300,000, assessed for supporter misconduct, with another $300,000 levied for the unsporting behavior of players and technical staff who orchestrated the walkout that halted play for nearly 20 minutes.
Players Iliman Cheikh Baroy Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr each received two-match suspensions for unsporting behaviour toward match officials during the late-game controversy that saw VAR award Morocco a penalty deep into stoppage time with the match deadlocked at 0-0.
But Morocco, playing before home supporters in Rabat, did not escape sanction. The Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football was fined $315,000 across multiple violations, including $200,000 for inappropriate conduct by ball boys and $100,000 for players and technical staff who stormed the VAR review area in an attempt to influence officials. Midfielder Ismaël Saibari received a three-match ban and $100,000 fine, while defender Achraf Hakimi was suspended for two matches – one conditionally suspended for a year.
