Senegal were stripped of the AFCON title, but a penalty against hosts Morocco caused chaos both on and off the field, including arrests.
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Published February 6, 2026
Eighteen Senegalese soccer fans detained in Morocco for “hooliganism” during last month’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final have begun a hunger strike pending the start of their trial.
Lawyer Patrick Kabou said his clients had been told they had been “waiting to learn of the charges against them since January 18,” the day they were arrested after the heated AFCON final in which Senegal defeated Morocco in Rabat.
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Kabu told AFP that the group complained that police officers questioned them in French and Arabic, but that they “only spoke Wolof,” their native language.
Minutes before the end of last month’s match, some Senegalese supporters tried to storm the pitch as Senegalese players suspended the match for nearly 20 minutes to protest a late penalty awarded to Morocco.
Some fans were also seen throwing chairs and other items onto the field.
The group has been denied its “right to justice,” Kabou said, adding that it would continue its strike “until Moroccan justice gives us the opportunity to be heard.”
The first trial in late January was postponed by the judge, and the second trial on Thursday was also postponed amid an ongoing lawyer strike in Morocco.
The trial is scheduled to resume next week.
