Senegalese national team goalkeeper, Yhvan Diouf, commented on the towel incident that sparked controversy after the end of the final match of the 35th edition of the African Cup of Nations.
The Senegalese national team won the continental title, after defeating the national team of the organizing country, Morocco, with an unanswered goal in the match that extended until two extra halves (120 minutes).
The reserve goalkeeper for the Teranga Lions team appeared in a video clip confronting the ball retrievers and the PSV Eindhoven striker, the Moroccan Ismail Saibri.
The reason is that Diouf was standing behind the Senegalese national team’s goal, and was giving his teammate Edouard Mendy a towel to dry his gloves and wipe his face, which is a common tradition in the round-robin stadiums.
Diouf said: “For me, it is just a towel and nothing more. Its purpose is to dry the gloves and face. I made sure to put my colleague in a comfortable position and nothing else. The shot of the stadium workers and the opponent was far from sporting spirit.”
The solid state in this equipment is amazing. On your way to the Sénégal gardaí who garde the Mendy service. 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/vVQJVDLJQf
— 𝕋𝕠𝕟𝕦x #𝟛𝟙𝟛 (@tonux_samb) January 19, 2026
The ball retrievers and Sabri were not the only party that tried to keep the towel away from goalkeeper Mendy, as the Moroccan national team captain, Achraf Hakimi, acted strangely.
After the play stopped, the right-back of Paris Saint-Germain headed towards Mendy’s goal, where he threw his towel outside the green rectangle.
Did it become clear?
🇲🇦 VS 🇸🇳#AFCONSMOQL#Morocco_Senegal#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025#AFCON2025 #CAN2025#Africa_Cup of Nations #Morocco pic.twitter.com/NePXsPgVMv
— SMOQL MAGHRIB AR (@smoqlmaghrib_ar) January 18, 2026
Nigerian national team goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was previously exposed to the same situation during the semi-final match, which saw Morocco qualify at the expense of the Green Eagles after resorting to penalty kicks.
The Nigerian goalkeeper’s towel was stolen more than once, distracting the goalkeeper so that he would not dry his gloves and making it difficult for him to catch the ball. pic.twitter.com/j8uuXSmYot
– Zizou (@zezw78785) January 19, 2026
Nouabali was quick to mock Rabat Stadium workers on the Instagram platform, posting after the final match: “Dry your tears with these towels now.”
Social media pioneers criticized the behavior of the Moroccan national team players more than the ball carriers and stadium staff after the incident, as most of them are active in major European clubs like their Senegalese counterparts.
They were surprised at how Hakimi and his companions resorted to a similar trick in order to influence goalkeeper Mendy.
The Moroccans tried to accuse the Senegalese of practicing witchcraft and sorcery rituals by insisting on using a regular towel!
While others were surprised by this illogical proposal, according to them, they cited the commitment of the Teranga lions to performing religious rituals and their good representation of the Islamic religion inside and outside the African continent.
In the face of this and that, CAF officials and Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala did not intervene to expel the ball retrievers and intruders on the field, despite their interference with the players, a scene that would distort the image of African football.
#towel #incident #disgrace #CAF #Morocco
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