CAN 2025 final: Claude Le Roy comes to the defense of Pape Thiaw and Senegal | OneFootball

Claude Le Roy et Sadio Mané

Speaking this Tuesday, coach Claude Le Roy stepped up to defend the team against the injustice suffered in the CAN 2025 final against Morocco (1-0).

Claude Le Roy was recently asked about Pape Thiaw's behavior during the CAN 2025 final. The Senegal manager had called his players back to the dressing room. Claude Le Roy showed understanding.

"I don't like to pass moral judgment. Pape steered his ship well, but he had a lapse of judgment. He recognized it and apologized. But some of his staff could have helped him see reason and shown more clarity. His assistants should have told him to think things over. In football, even great leaders or top coaches can lose their cool—it happens. A coach isn't a machine without emotion. But in the end, everything returned to normal, and fortunately so." he stated.

Le Roy also stressed that mistakes cannot be separated from the intense emotions of a final and, in his view, do not warrant overly harsh sanctions against Senegal. Claude Le Roy explained: "a final is played on emotion, on personal vibes, and Senegal lost control for a moment. There was nothing rational left, but that's also what football is all about."