Senegal Football Fans Return Home After Royal Pardon Over AFCON Final Disorder

A group of Senegalese football supporters imprisoned in Morocco following chaotic scenes during the Africa Cup of Nations final have returned home after receiving a royal pardon from King Mohammed VI.

The 15 fans arrived in Dakar early on Sunday after the Moroccan monarch granted them clemency “on humanitarian grounds” during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, according to Morocco’s royal court.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye personally welcomed the group at the airport, celebrating their return to Senegal.

“We’re very happy to have them back on Senegalese soil,” President Faye said while wearing a Senegal national team jersey and tracksuit.

The supporters had been jailed after violence and disorder erupted during January’s Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco, where tensions flared over a series of controversial refereeing decisions.

Thanking Moroccan authorities for the pardon, President Faye also reaffirmed Senegal’s belief that the national team remains “two-time African champions” despite the Confederation of African Football stripping the country of the 2025 AFCON title following the disruption.
Senegal has since challenged the decision, insisting the punishment was unfair and politically charged.

The pardon is being viewed as a significant diplomatic gesture between Morocco and Senegal, two nations with longstanding political and cultural ties.