Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye thanked King Mohammed VI on Sunday after Morocco pardoned Senegalese football supporters jailed over unrest surrounding the turbulent 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
“Our citizens arrested in Morocco following the events on the sidelines of the Africa Cup of Nations are now free,” Faye wrote on X, adding that the supporters would soon reunite with their families “thanks to the royal pardon graciously granted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI on the occasion of Eid al Adha.”
The pardon closes a politically sensitive chapter that lingered for months after one of the most disputed AFCON finals in recent memory. Senegal had initially beaten Morocco 1 0 before the match descended into chaos after Senegal’s players briefly walked off the pitch protesting a late VAR penalty decision.
The Confederation of African Football later overturned the result and awarded Morocco a 3 0 victory by forfeit.
Clashes and vandalism linked to the final led Moroccan authorities to arrest several Senegalese supporters.
In a statement issued Saturday, Morocco’s royal cabinet said the pardon was granted “for humanitarian reasons” and reflected the “historic brotherly ties” between Morocco and Senegal.
Faye described the move as another sign of the “deeply rooted bonds of brotherhood” linking Dakar and Rabat, while also extending Eid greetings to King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan people.
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