Rabat – The AFCON final chaos is taking a political turn after Senegal’s Channel 5 broadcast a graphic showing a divided map of Morocco, excluding its provinces in Western Sahara.
The incomplete map, which was displayed on the Talk Mastinal show, sparked a further backlash among the media and citizens, especially amid the chaos surrounding the Morocco vs. Senegal final match.
On Sunday, some Senegalese fans vandalized the Rabat stadium and attempted to storm the pitch after a referee awarded a VAR-verified and legitimate penalty in favor of Morocco.
Videos caught fans destroying stadium seats and using them as weapons against security guards.
The fans’ unruly behavior came after Senegalese coach, Pape Thiaw, took the scandalous decision to incite his players to leave the pitch.
The situation sparked uproar and condemnation from experts as well as sports officials alike. FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) are investigating the situation as well as the chaos that surrounded it.
Senegal Channel 5’s egregious mistake in its recent broadcast adds to the already thick tensions, displaying the first part with the Moroccan flag and the lower part with the separatist flag of Polisario’s self-proclaimed SADR.
Polisario is a separatist group that claims independence in the region amid a diplomatic momentum supporting Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
Over 121 countries support Morocco’s territorial integrity, describing the Autonomy Plan as the most, or only, political solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
The TV channel’s appalling error especially raises puzzled eyebrows, as Senegal has been among the countries that back Morocco’s position, opening its consulate general in the city of Dakhla in 2021.
Laayoune and Dakhla host dozens of consulates and representations from different countries and continents, reflecting their unwavering support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
Senegal reiterated last week on Saturday the importance of bilateral relations between Rabat and Dakar amid criticism from the Senegalese football federation.
The Senegal Football Federation (FSF) issued a strongly worded statement, alleging a “series of organizational and security shortcomings” in the preparations for the final and warned against any “undermining of fairness and equal opportunities” in one of the tournament’s most high-profile matches.
The FSF claimed it was addressing the situation to “the national and international public, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the local organizing committee, in the spirit of transparency and to defend the interests of the national team.”
The claims came amid international applause and recognition for Morocco’s efforts and world-class infrastructure and facilities deployed by the country through the competition.
Against the Senegalese federation’s claims, 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.
Senegal’s Channel 5 has not yet commented or given an explanation for the error at the this time of writing.