Marrakech – The International University of Casablanca (UIC) has terminated a faculty member over racist social media remarks targeting Senegalese nationals, amid heightened emotions following Morocco’s AFCON 2025 final defeat – an outcome many Moroccans viewed as Teranga Lions’ controversial path to lifting the trophy.
The university announced Thursday the immediate dismissal of I.O.T, an assistant marketing professor, who posted the term “slaves” on Instagram to describe celebrating Senegalese supporters following their team’s continental victory.
UIC issued a formal apology, stating the remarks were made on personal social media accounts outside any institutional framework. The professor has since deactivated all her social media profiles after widespread coverage in Senegalese media.
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“As soon as the facts were brought to its attention, the International University of Casablanca acted with diligence, seriousness, and firmness,” the university stated. The institution conducted a rigorous internal examination that resulted in what it called a “firm and definitive decision.”
The controversy erupted after Sunday’s explosive and deeply contentious AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat – a match that descended into chaos as Senegalese players walked off the pitch in protest, disputing refereeing decisions before reluctantly returning to complete the game.
The unprecedented scenes, broadcast across the continent, transformed a sporting final into a flashpoint that many observers described as one of the tournament’s darkest moments.
Authorities confirmed that 18 Senegalese supporters were arrested for pitch invasion and attacks on match organizers, as security was breached by fans who abandoned sporting conduct in favor of disorder, intimidation, and conduct widely condemned as unacceptable at a continental final.
In the aftermath, international media outlets and rights observers report that tensions spilled beyond stadium walls. In Casablanca, Ba Ndèye, owner of a Senegalese restaurant in the Oulfa district, stated that her establishment was violently attacked by a group of approximately ten individuals on match night.
She claimed to have suffered injuries from sharp objects and thrown projectiles, alongside two family members and a customer, and further alleged that police twice refused to register her complaint.
Additional reports indicate that two other Senegalese-owned businesses near Casablanca’s port and city center were targeted with projectile attacks the same evening, while some Senegalese workers allegedly faced dismissals from Moroccan companies in the following days.
These accounts, as presented by international media, have intensified scrutiny over how a football final – already marred by on-field disorder – cascaded into serious allegations of retaliatory violence, prompting calls for restraint, accountability, and a clear separation between sport and collective punishment.
In a blistering rebuttal, Morocco’s DGSN denounced such unverified, fabricated, and incendiary claims, accusing international media of abandoning basic journalistic standards, distorting facts on the ground, and deliberately amplifying false narratives that fuel misinformation, undermine credibility, and constitute a reckless assault on truth and professional ethics.
A pan-African vocation
The university, which describes itself as having a pan-African vocation, stressed that “respect for human dignity, cultural diversity and living together constitute fundamental and non-negotiable principles of its educational project.”
UIC assured it has implemented all necessary measures to ensure continuity of activities in a “serene, safe and respectful” environment while strengthening internal ethical vigilance mechanisms.
King Mohammed VI addressed the crisis on Thursday, calling on Moroccans not to be “drawn into rancor and discord” despite the “unfortunate incidents” that marred the final’s closing minutes.
“Even if this great continental football celebration seems to have been sadly tainted by the unfortunate episode of the last minutes of the match, nothing can alter the proximity cultivated over the centuries between our African peoples,” the King stated in his communique.
The monarch stressed that “hostile designs will never achieve their ends” and that the Moroccan people “know how to put things in perspective and will not be drawn into rancor and discord.”
Both governments moved to contain diplomatic fallout, scheduling the long-dormant Morocco-Senegal joint commission for January 26-27. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko will visit Rabat from January 26-28.
Rabat and Dakar maintain robust economic ties, with bilateral trade reaching €314 million in 2024, positioning Morocco as Senegal’s leading African supplier. Beyond commerce, some Senegalese religious circles regard Morocco’s King Mohammed VI as Amīr al-muʾminīn (Commander of the Faithful), reflecting deep historical, spiritual, and cultural bonds.
Read also: Editorial: Tsunami of Fake News Grapples Internet in the Aftermath of AFCON Final
