Senegal football fans return home after royal pardon in Morocco

Fans arrested successful Morocco successful the aftermath of the AFCON 2025 last returned connected a humanitarian pardon by Moroccan king.

A radical of Senegalese shot supporters jailed pursuing their country’s chaotic, violence-plagued Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) last successful Morocco successful January person returned location aft being pardoned by the Moroccan king.

King Mohammed VI granted the fans a pardon “on humanitarian grounds” connected the juncture of the Muslim vacation of Eid al-Adha, Morocco’s royal tribunal said connected Saturday.

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye welcomed the jubilant supporters connected their accomplishment astatine the airdrome extracurricular Dakar connected Sunday.

“We’re precise blessed to person them backmost connected Senegalese soil,” Faye, who donned a tracksuit for the occasion, told journalists.

He thanked Moroccan authorities for the pardon but, successful what Morocco volition apt comprehend arsenic a caller dig, hailed the nationalist squad arsenic “two-time African champions”, adjacent though the January last is the taxable of an ongoing quality earlier the Court of Arbitration for Sport successful Switzerland.

Senegal won the tumultuous continental last against Morocco successful Rabat connected January 18, but the lucifer was aboriginal awarded connected entreaty to the hosts.

With the lucifer tied astatine 0-0, aft a punishment awarded to Morocco successful stoppage clip of the 2nd fractional – conscionable aft a Senegal extremity was disallowed – Senegalese fans tried to tempest the transportation and hurled projectiles.

The Senegalese squad near the transportation successful protestation against the punishment decision, halting play for astir 20 minutes.

When they returned, they gleefully watched Morocco miss their punishment and went connected to people a 94th-minute winner.

In February, Moroccan courts sentenced 18 Senegalese supporters held successful Morocco since the last to situation presumption ranging from 3 months to a twelvemonth for hooliganism.

Three were released from jailhouse successful mid-April aft completing their three-month sentences.

Following that release, different 15 Senegalese fans remained imprisoned aft receiving sentences ranging from six months to 1 year.

The royal pardon applied to those 15.

Mending ties

The occurrence has strained relations betwixt Morocco and Senegal, countries with a past of affable ties.

But Morocco’s royal tribunal said that successful presumption “of the age-old fraternal ties” betwixt the 2 countries “and connected the juncture of the advent of Eid al-Adha”, which volition beryllium celebrated successful the state connected Wednesday, the king had “granted, connected humanitarian grounds, his royal pardon to the Senegalese supporters”.

The Senegalese president had earlier welcomed the determination successful a station connected X.

“Our compatriots … are free. They volition soon beryllium reunited with their loved ones,” Faye wrote.

He thanked King Mohammed VI for the determination “imbued with clemency and humanity”.

According to the Moroccan nationalist prosecutor’s office, the charges against the 18 shot supporters were based chiefly connected footage from cameras astatine Rabat’s Moulay Abdellah Stadium, and connected aesculapian certificates for injured instrumentality enforcement officers and stewards.

Material harm from the unit was estimated astatine much than 370,000 euros (about $430,000).

At the extremity of January, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) imposed disciplinary sanctions connected some nationalist federations for unsporting behaviour and violations of the principles of just play.

After the CAF decided connected March 17 to grant the rubric to Morocco by administrative ruling, Senegal appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The 2 countries person a past of practice successful sectors including tourism and energy, and stock beardown spiritual ties.

Senegalese marque up the largest overseas assemblage surviving successful Morocco.