Khaberni - In a final charged with excitement and rivalry between the teams of Morocco and Senegal in the African Nations Cup 2025, the excitement did not stop at the limits of football competition, but extended to dramatic moments throughout the match.
The Senegal team was crowned the African Nations Cup football champion for the second time in its history, after winning by a goal against the host Moroccan team, following extra time, last Sunday evening, in the final match of the tournament.
The last minutes of the added time in the second half witnessed dramatic events, after a goal for Senegal was canceled, and a penalty was awarded to Morocco just two minutes before the end, amid strong protests from the players of "Teranga Lions" that escalated to threats of withdrawal, causing a long halt in the match.
In a tense atmosphere, the controversial scenes did not stop at the refereeing decisions, but extended to a strange incident that attracted the attention of the fans and cameras, as the towel of Senegal goalkeeper Eduardo Mendy became the focus of an unusual scene on the pitch.
Moroccan players were seen trying to move the towel away and prevent Mendy from reaching it, before the scene was repeated again in another moment, where Achraf Hakimi, the captain of the "Atlas Lions," was seen throwing the goalkeeper's towel out of the field, before a Senegal team player quickly retrieved it and returned it.
In a notable development, cameras documented one of the technical staff of the Senegal team defending Mendy's towel fiercely, amid controversy on the field, at a time when the reason for the Moroccan players and ballboys' pursuit of the towel was not clear.
The goalkeeper comments:
Yiévan Diouf, Senegal's goalkeeper, said: To me, they were just towels for drying the gloves or face, nothing more; maybe the issue took on a more folklore aspect than it deserved, but there was nothing special about it.
He added: I was just as surprised as you when I saw they tried to take them, because we've seen this before with Nigeria when the goalkeeper places the towels and the pitch staff come to take them; I don't know why they did that, but honestly, it wasn't a proper behavior on their part.
He continued: From my side, I tried to deal with the matter calmly and in the best conditions, because Mendy and the players need to remain 100% focused on the field, and that’s why I acted in this way.
Widespread interaction:
These scenes sparked widespread interaction and increasing questions on social media platforms regarding the symbolism and background of these events, especially as they occurred in a match as significant as a continental final and under the eyes of millions.
Twitter users' reactions varied to the scene; some described it as "very strange," noting that Senegal's players did not allow ballboys or venue officials to take the goalkeeper’s third towel, increasing the bewilderment in the stands and across screens.
While some Twitter users described what happened as far from the football context, they spoke of a "violent fight" between the ballboys and venue officials over Mendy's towel, considering what happened as incomprehensible and unjustified.
In contrast, some users offered different explanations, including talk of "magic" or mysterious rituals, before others dismissed these stories, asserting that the use of the towel was merely to dry the ball and prevent it from slipping, describing those interpretations as "exaggerated."
Activists saw the incident as part of a "psychological game" or an attempt at provocation in a charged final match, but it took on greater dimensions due to some staff and ballboys overreacting, considering that the involvement of the players themselves in the incident made it even more bizarre.
In the same context, bloggers wondered about all this insistence and confusion around the goalkeeper's towel, pointing to a clear state of anxiety in some actions on the field, with some posing humorous questions about whether "stealing Mendy's towel" represented a magical ritual to ensure victory, in a scene considered suspicious.
Others pointed out that an intervention by a player from the Senegal substitutes' bench prevented the towel from being taken, noting that a similar scene was repeated in a previous game against Nigeria, where the goalkeeper's towel was also moved away, opening more questions about the motives behind these actions.
