Morocco international Mohamed Chibi joined an online wave of mockery targeting Senegal after its elimination by Belgium in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, following protests over a late extra-time penalty that decided the match.
The penalty, which sealed Belgium’s 3-2 victory, drew comparisons with the controversial Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, when Senegal’s players temporarily left the pitch in protest over a penalty decision.
In an Instagram Story, Chibi shared footage of Senegal coach Pape Thiaw calling on his players to leave the field during the AFCON final, alongside an image showing the Senegal-Belgium scoreline. He added a caption in Darija meaning, “Go over there and cry,” according to screenshots circulated online.
International football accounts also drew parallels between Senegal’s reaction to the late penalty against Belgium and the event of the AFCON final in Morocco.
“We all know what the Senegal manager was thinking in this moment,” said FootyFans Hub, a UK-based IG account commenting on the coach’s reaction.
A Ghana-based account with more than 17,000 followers described the incident as “proof that Senegal never deserved to be the true winner of AFCON,” questioning why the team did not walk off this time after an allegedly unfair penalty was awarded against them in the match against Belgium.
The match also revived exchanges between Moroccan and Senegalese users, whose online rivalry has continued since the AFCON final.
“The same scenario as the national team at AFCON… why didn’t they walk out this time? Divine retribution,” a Moroccan account on X said.
Another account said, “hello, Senegal, the shame of Africa. You tried to withdraw this time, but it didn’t work.”
The reactions come after the controversial AFCON final, where Senegal protested a penalty awarded to Morocco before Brahim Diaz took and missed it. Senegal’s Pape Gueye later scored the decisive goal in extra time to secure a 1-0 win.
But Senegal was later stripped of the title by CAF’s Appeals Committee, which awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory by default after penalizing Senegal for leaving the field, with the case still under appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
During their match against Belgium, the Senegalese players protested on the field after a VAR review awarded Belgium a penalty for Lamine Camara’s challenge on Youri Tielemans.
They surrounded the referee and protested for several minutes, while Senegal’s Pathe Ciss dropped to the ground on the penalty spot.
Footage circulating online also showed an assistant referee warning Senegal’s players not to cross the touchline while referee Said Martinez reviewed the incident on the VAR monitor.
Belgium captain Tielemans converted the penalty in the 125th minute, triggering widespread online reaction from Moroccan fans, who recalled the AFCON moment when Senegal walked off the pitch, a decision that later cost them the continental title.
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw, who had ordered his players to walk off the pitch during the AFCON final in protest over what he saw as a “refereeing injustice,” refused to comment on the penalty awarded to Belgium in the dying moments of the Round of 32 match.
“We were eliminated. It hurts. We couldn’t manage the result at 2-0. The penalty, everyone can comment on it, and everyone has their own interpretation of it. I don’t want to get into it,” Thiaw said after the defeat to Belgium.
Senegal’s defeat against Belgium also revealed tensions within the team, as Pape Gueye announced on his IG story that he is stepping away from international duty under the current coaching staff.
“I’ll speak later about our elimination, but for now, I’m announcing that as long as this coaching staff is in place, I’m taking a break from the national team,” Gueye said.
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