Why I Called for End to Senegal’s protest in AFCON final – Mane

Sadio Mane has said he would “rather lose” a match than see a team abandon the pitch in protest over a refereeing decision.

The Senegal captain made the remark while explaining why he intervened to stop his teammates from walking out during the dramatic final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) against Morocco.

Tension erupted deep into stoppage time when the referee awarded Morocco a penalty in the 94th minute. The decision followed a VAR review after El Hadji Malick Diouf was adjudged to have dragged Brahim Diaz to the ground while defending a corner kick. The incident had initially gone unnoticed by match officials before video review prompted the referee to point to the spot.

The call sparked furious reactions from Senegalese players and officials, who argued that an earlier goal scored by their team should have counted. Heated arguments and scuffles broke out around the stadium as tempers flared.

Amid the chaos, Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw instructed his players to leave the field and retreat to the dugout, bringing the match to a halt for nearly 20 minutes.

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However, Mane stepped in to calm the situation and persuaded his teammates to return to the pitch. The squad eventually resumed play, narrowly avoiding a possible forfeiture.

When the game restarted, Diaz missed the disputed penalty, firing his effort into the hands of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The contest proceeded into extra time, where Pape Gueye scored a powerful winner to secure Senegal’s second AFCON title.

Reflecting on the incident after the match, Mane described the walkout as something that “would be the worst thing, especially in African football”.

He insisted that errors by referees should never be allowed to stop a game and stressed the importance of protecting the image of the sport.

“Football is something special, the world was watching, the world loves football and I think football is a pleasure so we have to give a good image for football,” Mane said.

“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? 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 even ten minutes but what can we do? We have to accept that we did but the good thing is that we came back and we played the game and what happened happened.”

At the end of the tournament, Mane was named the player of the competition. Morocco’s Brahim Diaz finished as the top scorer with five goals to win the golden boot, while goalkeeper Yachine Bounou received the award for best goalkeeper.