THE Senegalese Football Federation has criticised a Moroccan court ruling that sentenced 18 Senegalese supporters following disturbances at last month’s Africa Cup of Nations final, calling the punishment excessive.
The fans were detained on January 18 after the AFCON final in Morocco and were sentenced on Thursday to prison terms ranging from three to 12 months.
In a report by Al Jazeerah English on Friday, Bacary Cisse, president of the federation’s communications committee, reacted strongly to the ruling.
“We express our profound dismay and distress following the verdict,” Cisse told the AFP news agency.
He added: “This incomprehensibly harsh decision has provoked widespread outrage.”
The supporters had been held in pre-trial detention since the day of the final, January 18, 2026, which Morocco lost 1-0 to Senegal on home soil.
This match was marked by tension late on, with some Senegalese fans attempting to enter the pitch. Senegal’s players also halted the game for nearly 20 minutes in protest over a late penalty awarded to Morocco. Objects, including a chair, were reportedly thrown onto the field.
The defendants were prosecuted in Rabat on charges of “hooliganism”, including alleged acts of violence against law enforcement, damage to sports equipment, pitch invasion and throwing projectiles.
According to the ruling, nine supporters were sentenced to one year in prison and fined 5,000 dirhams ($545). Six others received six-month sentences and fines of 2,000 dirhams ($218), while three were given three months in prison and fined 1,000 dirhams ($109).
Cisse questioned the proportionality of the sanctions.
“Clashes occur in numerous stadiums around the world, including every weekend in Morocco, without resulting in such sanctions,” he said. “The treatment of these supporters therefore appears disproportionate.”
Defence lawyer Patrick Kabou also criticised the court’s decision.
“Incomprehensible,” he said on Thursday, adding that his clients were “victims.”
Moroccan prosecutors on Thursday sought jail terms of up to two years for 18 Senegalese football fans imprisoned in Rabat since last month’s AFCON final over “hooliganism”, an AFP journalist reported.
Seeking the maximum penalty for some, the prosecution told the court that the defendants had “deliberately sought to disrupt the proper conduct of the match”.