The Senegal-Morocco can final dispute: edouard mendy speaks out

Almost three months on, the controversy surrounding the CAN 2025 final persists. On January 18th in Rabat, Senegal initially secured a 1-0 victory against Morocco on the pitch following extra time. However, the Confédération africaine de football later overturned this outcome on March 17th, awarding Morocco a 3-0 win by forfeit.

The appeals jury justified its decision by referencing articles 82 and 84 of the regulations, which state that any team abandoning the field or refusing to continue play is automatically declared to have lost. This interpretation has been strongly disputed by the Fédération sénégalaise, which has subsequently escalated the matter to the Tribunal arbitral du sport (TAS) in an effort to nullify the ruling.

While awaiting the TAS’s resolution, Edouard Mendy has broken his silence to champion the stance of the Lions de la Teranga. Appearing as a guest on the Saudi podcast Mo Show Prod, the Al-Hilal goalkeeper presented his account of events, directly contradicting the Moroccan side’s allegations of a collective abandonment.

The Senegalese shot-stopper, who became a final hero after saving Brahim Diaz’s penalty, emphasized a critical detail. He stated, “People claimed we all left the pitch during the final, but that’s incorrect. There were still players on the field. This is very important to highlight.”

Edouard Mendy champions Senegal’s position

Furthermore, Mendy referenced referee Jean-Jacques Ndala’s official report to substantiate his claims: “That’s why the referee didn’t blow the final whistle. He noted in his report that the match paused momentarily, but not that the team abandoned it, because players remained on the field.”

According to the former Chelsea goalkeeper, the game indeed recommenced, which would invalidate any concept of a forfeit. He asserted, “The match stopped for a moment and then restarted, so from that point, there’s no need to discuss what happened because the match continued until the very end. If the entire team had been absent, we wouldn’t be discussing this today. But that wasn’t the situation.”

Nevertheless, this account doesn’t entirely clear up all ambiguities. As reported by Afrik Foot, the official documentation, supported by visual evidence, suggests that nearly the entire team—with the sole exception of Sadio Mané—had indeed left the pitch for several minutes, including Edouard Mendy himself, who was reportedly among the first to head to the changing rooms. The conflict of narratives continues, pending the ultimate verdict from the TAS.