King Mohammed VI of Morocco has granted a royal pardon to several Senegalese supporters who were convicted following the incidents that occurred during the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) between Morocco and Senegal. This decision, announced a few days before Aid El Adha (Tabaski festival), comes after several weeks of diplomatic tensions and calls for calm between the two countries.
By Rodrigue Fenelon Massala
The CAN final, held in Rabat on January 18, 2026, was marked by violent clashes in the stands and around the stadium after an extremely tense match between the Lions of the Atlas and the Lions of Teranga. Senegalese supporters were arrested and then convicted by the Moroccan justice system for hooliganism, violence against law enforcement, damage to public property, and throwing projectiles.
According to several media reports, eighteen Senegalese supporters received sentences ranging from three months to one year in prison, along with fines. Faced with this situation, Senegalese authorities made diplomatic efforts to obtain a gesture of clemency from the Moroccan sovereign. Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye reportedly personally sent a request for a royal pardon to the Moroccan royal palace through the Senegalese Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This royal pardon is seen as a strong gesture of reconciliation and fraternity between Morocco and Senegal, two countries connected by close historical and diplomatic relations. Calls for boycott and tensions that arose on social media after the convictions are expected to gradually ease.
Beyond the judicial aspect, this case has also reignited debates about security at African competitions and the management of supporters during major sporting events. Despite the controversies, several political, sports, and religious figures from both nations called for calm to preserve the cooperation between Rabat and Dakar.
