Rabat – Senegal’s Ministry of African Integration, Foreign Affairs, and Senegalese Abroad issued a statement, stressing the importance of unity and fraternity ahead of the AFCON 2026 final against Morocco.
The statement comes to mend tensions that followed criticism and complaints from Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), which publicly voiced frustration over logistical challenges.
The FSF criticized what it described as insufficient security arrangements upon the team’s arrival in Rabat, problems with accommodation, issues with training facilities, and difficulties securing a fair ticket allocation for Senegalese supporters.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry’s statement stressed the historic ties, mutual respect, and Morocco’s “exemplary cooperation,” reflecting an official effort to preserve the spirit of fair play, continental unity, and long-standing Senegal–Morocco brotherhood despite rising tensions behind the scenes.
“The Ministry wishes to recall the excellence of the age-old relations of friendship and solidarity between Senegal and Morocco,” the statement said.
It emphasized that relations between the two countries are built on mutual respect and a shared vision of African and international issues.
Ties between the two countries have been continually strengthened over the decades, the ministry added.
“In this spirit of trust and partnership, the Ministry highlights that, true to this long-standing friendship, the Kingdom of Morocco has demonstrated exemplary cooperation since the start of the Africa Cup of Nations,” the ministry said.
The Senegalese ministry also expressed satisfaction with the consistency of this fraternal attitude and expressed their gratitude to the Moroccan government.
“Senegal considers sport, and football in particular, as a powerful vector of closeness and cohesion between peoples, the press release.
It also calls on all stakeholders, supporters, and public opinion to uphold a spirit of responsibility, respect, and fair play, in loyalty to the solidarity that defines Senegalese-Moroccan relations and to preserve the image of African football on the international stage.
