Sunday 25/January/2026 – 04:38 PM
Media reports revealed the text of the argument that broke out between Walid Regragui, the coach of the national team MoroccoWith Pape Thiaw, coach of the Senegal national team, during the events of the 2025 African Cup of Nations final.
The Senegal coach entered into a verbal altercation with Regragui, after the referee awarded a penalty kick in favor of the Moroccan national team in stoppage time of the final match.
Text of the argument between Walid Regragui and the Senegal coach in the African Nations final
According to the French channel beIN Sports, the text of the altercation between the coaches of Morocco and Senegal was as follows:
Walid Regragui, after the Senegal coach wanted to withdraw: Wait a minute, Pape.
Pape Thiaw: No, no, no… Because what happened there – the penalty awarded to Brahim Diaz – is not normal.
Walid Regragui, on the Senegalese’s desire to leave the field: But is this normal?
Papi Thiaw: And the disallowed goal, is this normal?
Walid Regragui: But he blew the whistle before that! Then the Senegal coach left the match field after that in objection to the refereeing decisions.
Earlier, the Senegal coach spoke about the events of the final match, as he said in a message via his Instagram account: My heart, soul and mind are rooted in Senegal… this beautiful country that has given me everything, and for its sake, I will do the impossible.
He continued: We had an exceptional tournament with a wonderful organization, which unfortunately ended in a tragic ending. It was never my intention to violate the principles of the game that I love. All I tried was to protect my team players from injustice.
He explained: What some may consider a violation of the rules is nothing but an emotional reaction to the bias of the situation, and after consultation, we decided to resume the match and win this cup for you. I apologize if I have offended some, but football fans will understand that emotion is an integral part of this sport.
