At 6 p.m., the sound system continues to blast out decibels of catchy, smooth pop hits by Maître Gims and others. Groups of young people, couples with families, mixed-gender duos, and trendy young fashionistas are all dressed in the national tricolor crowned by the star. Green, yellow, and red are literally everywhere: flags, pennants, scarves, vuvuzelas, small flags, and national team jerseys in every style (away green, home white). On the tables, drinks, hookahs, and food are laid out, around which fans chat comfortably seated on sofas and armchairs.

Then at 6:20 PM, the Canal+ music screen gives way to an image of the Rabat stadium and the green rectangle of the football arena. And there is the compact green, yellow, and red group of the Lions of Teranga, huddled together in a circle. Then the Atlas Lions, in red and green, stretch their legs on the pitch to the cheers of thousands of Moroccan supporters who have turned the stadium red. A few splashes of green, yellow, and red from the 12th Gaïndé are scattered across this massive poppy-red carpet. At the tip of Almadies, Gadel Sow, the kebab vendor of both Fulani and Serer heritage, and Aminata Gueye, the sea urchin seller, single-handedly represent two garrisons of highly motivated, enthusiastic, and passionate supporters. For three days, Gadel has been painting green, yellow, and red and putting up pennants everywhere, creating a veritable AFCON village on the island's westernmost point in the Atlantic.

When the names of the Senegalese players appeared on screen, they were met with a rather unsportsmanlike chorus of boos. Such is the way of the centuries-old Senegalese-Moroccan friendship during the Africa Cup of Nations final: not very fair play. But fortunately, it is the 22 seasoned gladiators who are playing the match on the field, not the underhanded players behind the scenes. The celebration is already a success because since December 21st, Senegalese and Moroccans have gotten along wonderfully, and our "cousins" from the Alaouite Kingdom of Morocco have reciprocated our Senegalese hospitality. Let's not forget that on both sides of the Sahara, communities from both countries live and are perfectly integrated.

The Fan Zone is now full a few minutes before kickoff, although latecomers continue to arrive throughout the first half. The Senegalese supporters all rose to their feet as our national anthem began. The Africa Cup of Nations really stirs up the sense of national belonging and patriotism among the Senegalese. From the very start of the game, hordes of whistles and jeers taunt the Senegalese opposition. A rather desperate tactic… Then, in the Fan Zone, a burst of applause and vuvuzelas greets a crucial goal by Sadio Mané, as well as the missed opportunities by Mamadou Sarr and Nicolas Jackson, followed by sighs of disappointment.

Actually, I'm listening to my neighbor to learn the players' names: Idrissa Mbaye, a true Lebou, jumps around, talks, kicks the ball with his arms, and comments. "Woooye!" the entire room shouts when a Moroccan player shoots at Édouard Mendy's goal, fortunately also missing. Cries of fear follow; it was another Moroccan in front of Mendy's net. When the duels go the way of the Lions of Teranga, there's first a sigh of relief, then enthusiastic applause. When the referee gives Lamine Camara a yellow card, the fans shout, "He didn't even touch him, laalu ko, laalu ko!" When a Moroccan player brings down Sadio Mane, the crowd protests and calls out to the referee. The resulting free kick comes to nothing.

Then we spot former CAC 2021 winning coach Aliou Cissé in the stands, greeted by a wave from the crowd. It's mostly the young girls who are heckling what they consider feigned falls by the opposing team, criticizing the refereeing as lenient, praising Sadio Mané, Mamadou Sarr, and Lamine Camara, shouting their praises, and invoking their mothers, "wouye sam ndeye." The boys, meanwhile, are berating Iliman Ndiaye for being "too slow" to react, the TV commentator saying "too slow to decide," and then, after his missed shot in front of the Moroccan net, Idrissa Mbaye, the Lébou, exclaims, "Iliman ya ngi ñuy reye, you should have just flicked it!"

Seeing Pape Mactar Sarr warming up on the bench in anticipation of being substituted, Idrissa Mbaye said, "It's Pathé Ciss we need, not him." Then, resigned, he urged him, "Today, do your best, give it your all!" On the other hand, Sadio and Mendy had his favor: "They're the two who will save the match, God willing." The young girls called out to the referee, whom they considered too lenient, as if he could hear them: "Hey referee, you too!" they implored, imploring him to remain fair and impartial. The halftime break brought a moment of respite to the crowd.

At 8:05 PM, the two teams returned to the pitch, rested. The match resumed. "By God, I'm so glad I beat Mamadou Sarr," Idrissa Mbaye exclaimed after a beautiful feint by the son of former international Pape Sarr. "And Diouf?" I asked him. "El Hadj Malick Diouf, he follows his ball to the very end." What's certain is that in this final match, the indispensable Sadio Mané, a true metronome, always saves the Lions in the most difficult situations. Play was briefly interrupted by a violent clash of heads between El Hadj Malick Diouf and El Aynaoui. The introduction of Ismael Sarr, Ibrahima Mbaye, and Abdoulaye Seck raised the crowd's hopes of finally seeing Senegal score. We are already at the 78th minute without finding the back of the net, whereas in the semi-final against Egypt, Sadio Mané had delivered the country in the 76th minute.

The duel becomes even more epic. A goal seems imminent, but it's slow to materialize despite the introduction of fresh legs from the pacey players. Ibrahima Mbaye's shot has just been deflected by the Moroccan goalkeeper, but the crowd applauds him nonetheless. When the referee pitifully disallows the Senegalese goal, the fan zone goes from celebration to disbelief, then to indignation when the referee awards a penalty. Faced with such blatant injustice, impudence, and indecency, the fan zone cries foul at this arena of cheats and sore losers. It's a sad state of affairs for the image of this AFCON hosted by Morocco, pathetic for African refereeing, and demeaning for Morocco, our beloved "cousin." Is a final worth all this inglorious shenanigans? It's the height of disappointment!

This time, Pape Gueye's game-winning goal was accepted. It brought joy to the entire crowd, who celebrated loudly, each person throwing themselves into the arms of others, sometimes complete strangers—that's the magic of football. Ismael Jacobs came on, and Idrissa the Lébou urged him on, "This match is your match!" Now it was "war" for the fans, still smarting from the refereeing. They booed the referee, the source of their anger. Then, with only one minute left, the fans began their song of triumph. But again, the referee decided there were still three minutes to play. So the crowd began a countdown to the final whistle. Victory rightfully went to the team that was the most fair, the strongest, the best prepared for the pressure, the most honest. When God says yes, no one can say no.

DMF