CAN 2025 final: “We apologize to football,” says Pape Thiaw

Pape Thiaw

Speaking to the press after Senegal’s triumph in the final, Pape Thiaw admitted to making a mistake as refereeing decisions went against his team.

Senegal clinched the CAN 2025 title on Sunday evening. Yet, the Lions of Teranga came dangerously close to not finishing the final. Outraged by the officiating and the penalty awarded to Morocco in stoppage time, Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw instructed his players to leave for the dressing room. While the Lions of Teranga eventually returned to the pitch thanks to Sadio Mané’s intervention, the coach later expressed his regret.

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“We didn’t agree with it. I don’t want to dwell on the match incidents. In hindsight, I really regret telling my players to leave the field. I apologize for that—apologies to football. After reflecting, I brought them back. We all know what happens in the heat of the moment. Sometimes you wonder: ‘Did that penalty really exist?’ Because right before, we scored a goal that was disallowed. Now, we accept the referee’s mistakes—it happens. We shouldn’t have done it, but what’s done is done. Now, we present our apologies to football,” he told beIN Sports.

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