Ex-Senegal star reveals 'can't leave like this' plea to Sadio Mane in AFCON final after squad walk-off

The revelations follow a final defined by controversy. Senegal ultimately lifted the trophy with a 1-0 win over Morocco on January 18, but the match nearly ended prematurely. Furious at a stoppage-time penalty awarded to the Atlas Lions, manager Pape Thiaw instructed his players to leave the field. As the squad headed for the dressing rooms, confusion reigned in the technical area.

Niang, present on the sidelines, stepped in to speak to Mane. The 44-year-old detailed the exchange on Canal+ Afrique on Monday. "When the players started to leave the field, he had a look of doubt, he didn't understand what was happening," Niang explained regarding the Al-Nassr forward's reaction. "At that moment, I am close to the touchline. He looks at me and says: 'Mamad, what do I do?'"

Recognising the forward was torn between loyalty to his coach and responsibility to the tournament, the retired striker offered counsel. While Mane sought support, the ex-Fenerbahce man insisted that staying on the pitch was the only viable option.

"I wanted to tell him that he had the answer inside him. But he just wanted to have support," Niang told the broadcaster. "I told him very quickly: 'You must not leave the pitch, we see everything that is happening, I can understand that there is anger, frustration but you have to finish this match, it is perhaps your last AFCON and you cannot go out like that. If we have to lose, we will lose, but not like that, we will lose like men'."

The intervention was not a solitary effort. El-Hadji Diouf and Claude Le Roy also approached the touchline to urge the players to reconsider. However, the conversation with the captain proved decisive.

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For the former Marseille talisman, the intervention was born out of experience. He cited a similar incident from his own playing days in 2004, during a quarter-final against Tunisia, where the squad had contemplated a walk-off. Having avoided that error in the past, he was desperate to ensure the current generation did not tarnish their legacy.

"There was a lot of agitation," the retired forward continued. "Claude was at the edge of the pitch too, he saw that it was going a bit all over the place. We who have this view and this experience... In 2004, we wanted to leave the field and fortunately we didn't do it because we could have had a lot of problems. I wanted, at some point, for everyone to breathe and the person best placed to bring the group back was Sadio, given his aura and that everyone listens to him. It was up to him to take this responsibility, something he did. He had to intervene at that moment."

Following the discussions, Mane successfully rallied his team-mates to return to the pitch. The decision was vindicated when Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the subsequent penalty, attempting a 'Panenka' which he mishit. The error sent the game into extra time, where Pape Gueye produced a sumptuous strike to secure the title.

Reflecting on the celebrations at the presidential palace, Niang noted that the former Liverpool star approached him to offer gratitude. "He came to thank me for coming to talk to him but I told him: 'Don't thank me because you already had the answer'," Niang added. "As he is someone very collective, he was torn between following his group and his coach, or taking his responsibilities and telling the group to stay and that is what he did."