CAN 2025: SAMUEL ETO'O DÉFEND PAPE THIAW APRÈS LES TENSIONS DE SÉNÉGAL-MAROC
Samuel Eto'o praised Pape Thiaw's decision to send the Senegalese players to the locker room after the controversial penalty awarded to Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final. The president of the Cameroonian Football Federation acknowledged that he could have done the same during the quarter-final against the Atlas Lions.
In a thrilling final marked by high tension, Senegal secured their second Africa Cup of Nations title against Morocco (1-0 after extra time). The match, played in Rabat, was notably marred by a controversial incident. After disallowing a goal for the Lions of Teranga for a slight push on Achraf Hakimi, the referee awarded a penalty to Morocco for a foul on Brahim Diaz. This decision sparked outrage among the Senegalese fans, leading to violence between supporters in the stands and a brawl on the pitch. Senegal's coach, Pape Thiaw, even sent his players back to the locker room to put pressure on the governing bodies. This gesture raised eyebrows but earned him the support of Samuel Eto'o on Monday.
"I was sanctioned with a four-match ban because I refused to make that decision," the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation told France 24. "Emotions are sometimes uncontrollable, and at one point during the Cameroon-Morocco match there was a lot of emotion, and one of my compatriots suggested I withdraw the team."
Sanctioned with a multi-match suspension and a fine by CAF, the former Indomitable Lions striker received a relatively lenient sentence because he managed to remain calm. For his behavior during the match against Morocco, ultimately won thanks to a goal by Pape Gueye in extra time after a disastrous Panenka penalty attempt by Brahim Diaz, Pape Thiaw faces serious consequences despite his swift apology. Samuel Eto'o has expressed his support for him following his decision during the AFCON final.
"On a whim, I could have made that decision. I don't think I'm going to blame the Senegalese coach," the Fecafoot official continued. "On the contrary, he had the courage to defend his team. You have to take that kind of risk."
"In the end, Senegal wins and that's what I want to remember."
Before elaborating on possible sanctions against the Senegalese coach: "Now, those in charge of investigating and looking at what went wrong will take responsibility. But the fact remains that there are emotions involved in a football match."
Eto'o campaigns for more video at the AFCON
Everything ended well for Senegal despite the tense moments. Unless, of course, the CAF imposes heavy sanctions on Pape Thiaw following the complaint filed by Morocco. To avoid these kinds of improbable situations, which reflect poorly on African football, Samuel Eto'o called for more frequent use of video replay. This was especially relevant after the disallowed goal for Senegal, for which the referee, having blown his whistle before the end of play, was unable to review the footage.
"We need to understand that emotions are involved and do everything we can to prevent them from getting out of hand. And what does 'doing everything' mean? It means we have, perhaps, VAR," Samuel Eto'o finally told the television channel. "It costs us nothing to review the facts of the game. And I think that if, at some point, we review the facts of the game, then our emotions will be much better controlled."
Commentaires (10)
La moindre frustration rend leur comportement dangereux et imprévisible la victoire de la honte toute la planette est temoin de votre sauvagerie
L’arbitrage du VAR doit être auditionné par la FIFA ainsi que l’arbitre c’est inadmissible de tricher à ce point mais bon Dieu est le meilleur juge et à juger en faveur de la verité
La mascarade est trop flagrante et il faut agir.Pourquoi laisser le sort du foot africain entre les mains de corrompus qui tuent le plaisir du jeu ? La Caf n'est la propriété d'aucun groupe mafieux.
Felicitation à nos Jaambars le peuple est fiers de vous.
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