Football governing bodies FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have condemned the “unacceptable scenes” that marred Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final in Rabat, with CAF pledging to take “appropriate action” against those found guilty.

The AFCON final between hosts Morocco and Senegal was disrupted late in normal time after referee Jean Jacques Mdala awarded Morocco a penalty following a VAR review for a challenge on Brahim Diaz, with the match level at 0–0.

In protest, the majority of Senegal players walked off the pitch, while clashes later broke out in the stands involving some Senegalese supporters and Moroccan security personnel.

In a statement issued on Monday, CAF condemned the conduct of some players and officials but stopped short of attributing blame to either team. The continental body said it is reviewing all available footage and will refer the matter to its disciplinary bodies.

“The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) condemns the unacceptable behaviour from some players and officials during the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night,” the statement read.

“CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organisers.

“CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to the competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty.”

The Senegal players later returned to the pitch following the intervention of former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, one of the few players who initially remained on the field.

Senegal went on to win the final with a brilliant goal from Pape Gueye in extra time, stunning the vast majority of the 66,526 fans at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

FIFA President Mr. Gianni Infantino also condemned the incident, describing the scenes as unacceptable. He criticised both the decision by players to leave the pitch and the violence involving supporters.

“We strongly condemn the behaviour of some ‘supporters’, as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members. It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner,” Mr. Infantino said in a statement sent to AFP.

“It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport. It is simply not right.”

Mr. Infantino praised Morocco for “a fantastic tournament, both as runners-up and exceptional hosts” — a boost ahead of the country co-hosting the men’s 2030 World Cup — and stressed that teams must respect match officials’ decisions.

“We must always respect the decisions taken by the match officials on and off the field of play,” he said.

“Teams must compete on the pitch and within the Laws of the Game, because anything less puts the very essence of football at risk.”

The FIFA president, who expressed hope that there would be no such scenes at this year’s World Cup finals co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, said images such as those witnessed on Sunday sent the wrong message to supporters around the world.

“It is also the responsibility of teams and players to act responsibly and set the right example for fans in the stadiums and the millions watching around the world,” he added.

“The ugly scenes witnessed today must be condemned and never repeated. They have no place in football, and I expect that the relevant disciplinary bodies at CAF will take the appropriate measures.”

Senegal coach Mr. Pape Thiaw admitted to broadcaster beIN Sports that he had erred in instructing his players to walk off the pitch.

“After thinking about it, I realised that I shouldn’t have asked them to go off. I apologise for that,” Mr. Thiaw said.

“Sometimes you can react in the heat of the moment. Before that, we scored a goal that was not given. But now we accept that referees do make mistakes, and we apologise.”

However, Morocco coach Mr. Walid Regragui expressed concern about the damage the chaotic final had done to the image of African football globally.

“The image we gave of African football was rather shameful. Having to stop the game for more than 10 minutes with the world watching is not very classy,” Mr. Regragui said.

CAF reiterated that disciplinary processes are ongoing and that sanctions will follow once investigations are concluded.