AFCON Towel Saga: Senegal Goalkeeper Explains What Transpired With Moroccan Ballboys
- Senegal's second-choice goalkeeper has opened up on what happened with Moroccan ballboys during the AFCON 2025 final
- Yehvann Diouf protected Édouard Mendy’s towels to prevent them from being taken away by the ballboys in the drenching rain
- The Moroccans also stole multiple towels from Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali during the semi-final match
Senegal’s second-choice goalkeeper, Yehvann Diouf, has opened up on what transpired between him and the Moroccan ballboys during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
The AFCON 2025 final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on January 18, 2026, witnessed a lot of ugly scenes during the nearly three hours it ran for.
Source: Getty Images
Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala disallowed Ismaila Sarr's goal, awarded a penalty to Morocco, prompting a Senegalese walkout, which Sadio Mane intervened.
Another incident on the touchline was a prolonged battle between Diouf and the ballboys over the custody of goalkeeper Édouard Mendy's towels.
As noted by Foot Africa, the Moroccans stole multiple towels from Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, which necessitated protecting Mendy’s towels in the final.
Diouf’s duty was made difficult by the ballboys' attempt to take away the towels, much so that Atlas Lions Achraf Hakimi threw one away into the stands.
A video circulated on X by Foot Mercato, showing the Moroccan ballboys wrestling with Diouf in trying to retrieve the goal, an incident which sparked reactions online.
Diouf speaks about battle with ball boys
Yehvann Diouf has explained what happened between him and the ballboys while acting as makeshift security protecting teammate Mendy’s towel.
“Imagine, a ball boy told me, 'Be fair play,'" he says, bursting into laughter. "I replied, 'Fair play in what way? You're the ones taking the towels, and I'm the one being unfair when all I'm doing is handing out towels?' I'm surprised, I don't understand,” he told RMC Sports.
“I couldn’t believe it. I actually went onto the pitch of my own accord, thinking the referee would stop the match or realise what was going on.
“But no, next thing I know, I’m on the ground in the box, and the ball is 20-25 meters away. (…) On one hand, I wasn’t protected, and on the other, the match was still going on. It was completely surreal.”
Source: Getty Images
Diouf confirmed that Hakimi and Ismail Saibari are the Moroccan players who got involved and attempted to take the towels off Mendy in goal.
Saibari checked into the Senegalese camp to personally apologise to Mendy for the incident, earning plaudits for his self-awareness for his role in one of the ugly incidents in the final.
Hakimi, in his statement after the final, failed to acknowledge the incident but instead spoke about the devastation following Morocco’s loss.
Stanley Nwabali aims dig at Morocco
Legit.ng reported that Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali aimed a direct dig at Morocco after losing the AFCON 2025 final to Senegal.
Nwabali recalled an incident during which Moroccan fans stole his towels during the semi-final, telling them to use them to wipe their tears.
Source: Legit.ng
