Ali Thameem
Senegal will once again be remembered as champions of Africa, but anyone who watched last night’s AFCON final knows that it was no ordinary final. The night in Rabat drifted away from normalcy long before Pape Gueye struck the winning goal, and once it did, there was no pulling it back.
For long stretches of the game, it was exactly the kind of final Senegal wanted. But the tension broke loose with the controversial penalty decision. El Hadji Malick Diouf’s slight pull on Brahim Díaz at a corner was enough to trigger VAR, enough for the referee to point to the spot.
For Senegal, already feeling aggrieved, it crossed a line. Players were told by head coach Thiaw to walk off, convinced the final was being rigged against them from the get go.
But Mane’ chose not to follow the orders. He was, in fact, the one Senegal player who clearly did not want to walk down the tunnel and was telling his team-mates to come back out.
“I think it would be crazy to not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game?, said Mane’ in an interview after the game. “I think that would be the worst thing especially in African football. I’d rather lose than this kind of thing happen to our football”.
“I think it’s really bad. Football should not stop for 10 minutes but what can we do? We have to accept what we did but the good thing is that we came back and we played the game and what happened happened.”
Former Chelsea keeper Mendy, who now plays for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, insisted in a post-match interview that he was “proud” of Mane’, and that fact that Mane’ was able to convince his teammates to return to the field.
But, how Mane’ convinced them, nobody but the players know. His teammates were justified in thinking the game was blatantly rigged – that the referee’s decision to give the penalty was a disgrace.
“Mané went the extra mile to bring his team back, and it paid off,” said Daniel Amokachi on BBC World Service. “What an ambassador for African football.”
When Brahim Díaz finally stepped up to take the penalty for Morocco, he, for some reason, decided to try a Panenka. Édouard Mendy stayed upright and caught it cleanly.
A final that had been locked down suddenly felt unstable, as if anything could now happen.
It did. Early in extra time, Morocco were caught in possession near halfway. The ball broke to Pape Gueye and he drove forward before rifling a shot into the top corner. It was a goal of conviction, struck by a player who sensed that the moment would not come again.
Chaos followed. Morocco threw everything forward. Crosses rained into the box. Nayef Aguerd hit the bar. Youssef En Nesyri glanced a header wide. Senegal defended in waves, bodies everywhere. At the other end, Morocco goalkeeper Bono somehow managed to get his gloves on Cherif Ndiaye’s sitter from the six-yard box.
After the match, Mané was honored with the captain’s armband by Koulibaly, to lift the trophy on the stage.
There will be repercussions for Senegal team’s walk-off. There must be. As much as they can rationalize it, the walk-off was unprofessional, and cowardly. But history will record that Senegal won their second Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Unlike the final against Egypt five years ago, Mane’ did not score in this one. He did not need to. His contribution was no less influential than anyone else he shared the pitch with.
Because it takes a certain level of humility to act in the way he did. It takes a mindset that can acknowledge the disgraceful decisions of the referee, while also refusing to fall into the trap of entitlement.
That is true athleticism. That is the kind of sportsmanship the world needs more of.
