A well-deserved congratulations to the Terenga Lions of Senegal, who showed immense courage in the line of fire, in front of a partisan house, to lift their second Africa Cup of Nations title.
I watched with rapt attention as the drama played out in Rabat, where hosts Morocco seemed to have the title gift-wrapped for them until the cocky Brahim Diaz saw his Panenka penalty saved comfortably by Edouard Mendy in the final minute of regulation time.
Senegal picked up the gauntlet and scored the winner after an amazing ball recovery by Sadio Mane freed Pape Gueye to score one of the tournament’s best goals. It was a fitting goal to win a championship title.
The Lions of Terenga had conquered the zenith of the Atlas, vivre les Lions, vivres les Terenga, vivre football Africain.
Shall we overlook the chaos?
Not at all, we shall not excuse Senegal’s behaviour. The Lions walked off the pitch after VAR had made a call for centre referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo to check an infringement in the box by Malick El Hadji Diouf on Diaz late in added-on time.
Moments earlier, referee Ndala had wasted no time in calling a foul on Senegal’s shout for a goal, which in hindsight should have been a 50-50 call. Against any other opponent, the referee would have given the benefit of the doubt and allowed the goal to stand.
But many things in this tournament have favoured Morocco to the detriment of its opponents. And that is where the seed of chaos was sown.
Senegal, having watched the way Nigeria were treated in the semifinals, did not allow itself to be finished off without a fight. They resisted the call by walking off the pitch to the chagrin of CAF’s leadership in the stands. The tournament seemed headed to only one place after all, and Senegal decided they would rather lose it via a walk-off than suffer the pain of a late penalty.
In the stands, chaos ensued as fans went for each other. The Senegalese fans, outnumbered but not bothered, fought back. They gave as much as they received. The pretence was all over. No one thought they could receive fair treatment in the hands of the hosts.
The entire world stood still. Many Africans chose sides. Many of us stood with Senegal in that moment as the drama unfolded.
But miracles do still happen. Sadio Mane pleaded with his teammates to return to the pitch and finish the game. They came out, and the rest is history.
Morocco shows how not to win
Morocco spent more than a billion dollars to host, and one must add, to win, the AFCON. The facilities were top-notch, the country is great for tourism, and the people were welcoming.
But when it came to playing against the Atlas Lions, there seemed to be a clear agenda to get the hosts as far as possible in the tournament. And this backfired.
Four years ago, Morocco emerged on the international stage at the World Cup in Qatar, where they reached the semifinals. This earned them goodwill across the continent. I remember celebrating with Moroccans in the market square in Doha late into the night before my early flight back to Berlin.
However, I strongly feel that goodwill has been largely lost over the knockout stages of this Afcon, where Morocco seemed to have the referees working against opponents, for the hosts to emerge victorious.
I saw ball boys and stewards steal towels from goalkeepers Mendy and Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali, and I wonder how this behaviour could ever be considered good enough for Morocco to even win the Fair Play award.
If Bounou’s towels had been stolen like this in Doha, would the Atlas Lions have reached the semi-finals of the World Cup?
I think Senegal’s victory was real justice, no matter how many minutes they took off the pitch. We got served justice in real time. And millions of people across the continent and around the world loved it.
I love it too. And I hope that Morocco’s golden generation can remain together to prove their worth at the next Afcon in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. That way, they can tell the rest of us that they are truly deserving of a title after five decades. Come prove yourself far from home, where only your football will speak for you.
Until then, congratulations once again, Senegal. Your courage was immense.
