King Mohammed VI Pardons 15 Senegalese AFCON 2025 Fans Jailed After Rabat Pitch Invasion

Fifteen Senegalese football fans held in Moroccan detention since February will be released following a royal pardon issued by King Mohammed VI ahead of Eid al-Adha, the Islamic Festival of Sacrifice observed across Morocco, Senegal, and Nigeria on Wednesday, May 27.

The Moroccan monarch cited humanitarian grounds for the clemency, which covers the remaining detainees from a group of 18 Senegalese supporters originally imprisoned after a pitch invasion at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. The three not covered by the decree had already served and completed their individual sentences, which ranged from three months to one year.

According to Al Jazeera, the fans were incarcerated in February in connection with crowd disturbances that erupted during the climax of the January 2025 AFCON final — one of the most contentious matches in the tournament’s history.

The disorder at the Rabat stadium was directly linked to events on the pitch. Senegal’s players temporarily walked off the field to protest a late VAR-awarded penalty to Morocco, triggering a 15-minute delay in proceedings. The walk-off prompted widespread unrest in the stands, ultimately leading to the pitch invasion that resulted in the arrests.

The fallout from that final extended well beyond the stadium. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeal Board subsequently ruled that Senegal’s walk-off constituted a regulatory forfeit, stripping the Teranga Lions of their 1-0 extra-time victory. CAF administratively awarded Morocco a 3-0 win and confirmed them as continental champions — a decision that denied Senegal what would have been their second AFCON title.

Senegal have refused to accept that outcome. Their challenge to the ruling is currently being heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with the verdict expected to have significant implications for the official record of the 2025 AFCON and for how African football’s governing body handles player protests and match officiating disputes going forward.

The royal pardon adds a humanitarian dimension to an episode that has dominated African football discourse since January. While the legal and sporting battle between Senegal and CAF remains unresolved at CAS, the release of the 15 supporters closes one chapter of the broader controversy — at least for those individuals who had been held pending the outcome of various proceedings.

The timing of the decree, aligned with one of the most significant religious observances in the Islamic calendar, is consistent with a longstanding Moroccan tradition in which the king issues pardons to prisoners ahead of major religious occasions. Morocco, Senegal, and Nigeria all observe Eid al-Adha, lending particular symbolic weight to the gesture across the West African footballing community.