Nineteen football supporters have been handed jail terms in Morocco after chaos broke out during the Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal, a match that ended in controversy and spilled into the stands.
The ruling came Thursday after more than five hours of deliberations. The court found 18 Senegalese nationals and one French citizen guilty on multiple counts, including damaging sports infrastructure and engaging in violence at a sporting event. The charges stemmed from a pitch invasion attempt during the heated final.
According to lawyer Naima El Guellaf, eleven of the accused received one-year prison sentences along with fines of $550 each. Four were sentenced to six months and fined $218, while the remaining four were handed three-month terms and $130 fines, the AP reported.
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Tension filled the courtroom as the verdicts were read. One defendant collapsed after hearing the sentence. Others remained seated when instructed to move toward the holding cells. Relatives in attendance reacted emotionally, maintaining that their family members had been wrongfully convicted.
Defense lawyers signaled their intention to challenge the decision, describing the punishment as excessive.
The arrests followed scenes of unrest during the final last month. Angered by a late penalty awarded to host nation Morocco, some Senegalese supporters attempted to storm the field in protest. Senegal ultimately secured a 1-0 victory, but those detained were held in custody for over a month pending judgment.
Diplomatic observers from Senegal and France attended Thursday’s proceedings alongside family members of the accused. Defense counsel argued that prosecutors had failed to establish sufficient evidence for conviction.
The public prosecutor pressed for the harshest penalties available, contending that the accused disrupted the orderly progression of the match and caused extensive property damage estimated at more than $476,719.
While Morocco has frequently dealt with football-related unrest, cases typically involve local fans. This prosecution stood out because all those convicted were foreign nationals.
The fallout from the final has extended beyond the courtroom. Senior officials in Morocco and Senegal have publicly called for calm and unity amid rising tensions online and what Moroccan rights groups labeled “hate speech.”
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Last month, CAF, the African soccer governing body, imposed $1 million in fines and sanctions on both Senegal and Morocco in response to the turmoil. Morocco has said it will appeal, arguing that the penalties do not reflect the scale of the incidents.
The match itself was disrupted when Senegalese players briefly left the pitch to contest the stoppage-time penalty decision. Frustrated supporters hurled chairs onto the field and clashed with stewards before police intervened.
Despite the turbulence, leaders in both countries have moved swiftly to reinforce diplomatic and economic ties they describe as “strong and historic,” determined to keep sporting tensions from spilling into bilateral relations.
In a show of cooperation, Senegal’s prime minister traveled to Morocco and signed agreements aimed at expanding investment in agriculture and mining. The partnership carries weight for both sides. Senegal, grappling with heavy debt, is actively courting investors, while Morocco continues to channel hundreds of millions of dollars into the West African nation’s economy.
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