Once upon an AFCON. Africa wanted to present the world with its best image. But in the 98th minute of the final, it fell back into its comfort zone: populism, conspiracy theories, and rules trampled underfoot, all unfolding in a fiasco broadcast to the world. Morocco took one step forward. CAF took two steps back. DR ‹ › We finally rediscovered that famous «African hype» so sorely missed by fans ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and even by South African coach Hugo Broos. But the celebration quickly turned into a deplorable spectacle: pressure tactics, violence, bad faith, unsportsmanlike conduct, scheming… and an African Football Confederation that seemed more willing to sabotage itself than to show courage by enforcing its own rules. From two days before the final, the match shifted from the pitch to the political arena. Senegal had all the cards in hand to win the Africa Cup on sporting merit. Yet even before kickoff, the Senegalese Football Federation chose confrontation, fueling a toxic climate riddled with rumors and conspiracy theories. The narrative was already in place: Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the FRMF, was said to have «dominated» the CAF and manipulated a «corrupt» president, despite the fact that Patrice Motsepe is the wealthiest man in South Africa. This rhetoric, echoed by sore losers, coaches, federations, fans, and media alike, evolved into a discourse of victimhood, spreading from social media to certain international platforms. Nothing new: the corruption refrain resurfaces at every AFCON. What made this edition different, however, was that the Senegalese Federation fully embraced this strategy, preempting post-match communication. The message was clear: if Senegal were to lose, it would be because Morocco and the CAF had «bought» the AFCON long before the tournament even began. And CAF, instead of dousing the flames, poured oil on the fire. Stalemate, back to square one In an attempt to avoid upsetting anyone, or at least to upset as few stakeholders as possible, CAF chose to evade responsibility by opting for a strange fifty-fifty approach. As a result, Pape Thiaw received a sanction almost comparable to that imposed on Ismaël Saïbari. CAF even managed the paradox of sanctioning Morocco on the grounds that players and staff entered the VAR area, while failing to sanction Senegal for identical behavior. And what about the majority of Senegalese players who went unpunished after leaving the pitch for nearly twenty minutes, heading to the locker room, smartphones in hand, calmly proclaiming: «We were robbed»? The most serious aspect of this ruling, one that weakens CAF in the long run, is the rejection of the appeal filed by the FRMF, despite clear violations of AFCON regulations by the FSF (art. 82 and 84). What are we left with after this circus? This leniency toward the strategy of escalation openly adopted by Pape Thiaw, his players, and the Senegalese Federation sets a dangerous precedent. Tomorrow, why remain on the pitch at all? Algeria, for instance, would have benefited from walking off after a denied penalty in the quarterfinals, rather than waiting for the final whistle to argue with the referee. The sanction would have been similar, while potentially destabilizing the opponent mid-game. Why risk losing a cup or a decisive match if the punishment is limited to a few match bans for a coach and a few hundred thousand dollars in fines for a federation? Especially when the potential reward is a continental title and $10 million in prize money. By politicizing this AFCON and riding the wave of conspiracy theories, the Senegalese Federation made its calculation: heads, you lose the Cup but win the battle of African storytelling; tails, you win the AFCON, pocket the $10 million, and tip CAF $715,000. Morocco, meanwhile, lost on the sportsmanship front. It walks away with a tarnished image on the continent, a celebration spoiled, and, above all, a weakened political position within the African Football Confederation. And us, in all this? No need for a hundred words to describe what millions of Moroccans felt after the uppercut of the final, followed by the left hook delivered by CAF. One word says it all: «Chemta!»
