Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw walks out of AFCON final press conference after being BOOED & Morocco's Walid Regragui urged to quit by journalists as chaos spills over in ugly post-match scenes

The post-match press conference at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium descended into farce mere minutes after it had begun, mirroring the chaotic scenes that had marred the end of normal time. Pape Thiaw, the architect of Senegal’s dramatic 1-0 extra-time victory, arrived in the media centre expecting to field questions about his side’s resilience and tactical discipline. Instead, he was met with a wall of hostility that rendered the session impossible.

As Thiaw took his seat, a large contingent of Moroccan journalists began to jeer and boo the 44-year-old, evidently furious at his conduct during the match’s most controversial flashpoint. In response, the travelling Senegalese press corps began to applaud and cheer their manager, creating a cacophony of noise that drowned out the moderator’s attempts to restore order. The atmosphere in the room was described by witnesses as toxic, with verbal arguments breaking out between the rival factions of the media.

Visibly unimpressed by the lack of decorum, Thiaw waited briefly for the jeers to subside. When it became clear that the officials could not quieten the rowdy room, the Senegal boss stood up and walked out, refusing to speak. The abrupt exit left dozens of questions unanswered regarding the earlier walk-off, but it served as a fittingly turbulent end to a final that had long since spiralled out of control.

The catalyst for the hostility towards Thiaw was his unprecedented decision to order his players off the field deep into stoppage time. The match had erupted into controversy when Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty in the 95th minute following a VAR review. The decision, given for a tug by Senegal full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf on Brahim Diaz, came moments after Senegal had seen a goal of their own disallowed, sparking fury on the Teranga Lions’ bench.

In scenes that will likely attract heavy sanctions from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Thiaw signalled for his team to abandon the match in protest. The Senegal squad disappeared down the tunnel, leaving the Moroccan players and officials bewildered on the pitch for nearly 15 minutes. It was only the intervention of senior players, including Sadio Mane, that eventually convinced the squad to return and complete the game.

When play finally resumed, the drama reached its peak. Morocco’s star forward Brahim Diaz attempted a Panenka penalty to win the tournament, only to see his chipped effort easily caught by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The save seemed to shatter Morocco’s confidence while galvanising the visitors, who went on to steal the trophy through Pape Gueye’s clinical strike in the fourth minute of extra time.

Thiaw did manage to issue an apology for the decision to take his players off the field, telling Bein Sports: "We did not agree with the decision, that is all, and I do not want to go back over what happened in this match. After reflecting, I really did not like the fact that I told my players to leave the pitch. I apologise to football. I brought them back. Sometimes you can react in the heat of the moment. We asked ourselves whether that penalty could have been given if our goal before that had been allowed. But now we accept the referee’s mistakes, that can happen. We should not have done it, but it is already done. We apologise."

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While Thiaw faced hostility for his actions, his opposite number Walid Regragui was subjected to a different kind of pressure. Despite leading Morocco to a historic World Cup semi-final just three years ago, the Atlas Lions boss found his position under immediate scrutiny following the defeat. The local press, reeling from the trauma of another missed opportunity on home soil, did not hold back in their assessment of the manager’s failure to secure the title.

During his segment of the press conference, Regragui was directly confronted by journalists questioning his future. One reporter bluntly asked when the 50-year-old intended to resign in a brutal interrogation for a manager who has transformed Moroccan football but has now fallen short at the final hurdle of the continent’s showpiece event.

Regragui, however, remained defiant, refusing to step down immediately. Instead, he criticised the Senegal coach, saying: “The image Africa showed today is a bit shameful. When a coach tells his players to leave the pitch… He had already started in the press conference. Good for him. As I said, in the end you always have to remain classy, in defeat as well as in victory. What Pape did tonight does not honour Africa. It was not classy, but it does not matter, he is African champion so he has the right to say whatever he wants. We stopped the match in front of the whole world for at least 10 minutes."

Asked for his thoughts on the missed penalty, he added: "I think there was a lot of time before he took the penalty, and that must have disturbed him. The interruption did not help Brahim. That is not an excuse for how he took it, but we are not going to go back now, that is how he struck it."

The victory secured a second continental title for the West Africans, cementing their status as the dominant force of the modern era. For the players, the celebrations on the pitch provided a stark contrast to the bitterness festering in the stands and the press room.

For Morocco, the wait goes on. The kingdom had invested heavily in infrastructure and facilities, viewing this tournament as a dress rehearsal for their co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup. To lose in such circumstances, with a missed penalty in stoppage time followed by an extra-time sucker punch, is a psychological blow that may take years to heal. The fallout from the final is expected to continue for days, with CAF investigations likely to loom over Thiaw and the Senegalese federation, ensuring that the headlines remain written long after the trophy has left Rabat.