Ismail Jakobs suspects poisoning before Africa Cup of Nations final

In partnership with

OffsAIde

·24 January 2026

Ismail Jakobs suspects poisoning before Africa Cup of Nations final

"I strongly suspect that three of our players were poisoned," said Senegal defender Ismail Jakobs after the 1-0 extra-time win over hosts Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final.

"It was not a simple food poisoning with vomiting. These three players actually collapsed," he told German broadcaster Sportdigital.

OneFootball Videos

Krépin Diatta, Ousseynou Niang and Pape Matar Sarr were all ruled out of the final after being declared ill.

Diatta, a Monaco defender, left the warm-up and was helped from the pitch. "He could no longer lift his head," said Jakobs.

"It was really frightening. I do not want to accuse anyone, but it was certainly not a coincidence." He added that all three were unable to pull their tongues back in. Jakobs now plays for Galatasaray in Türkiye.

Source: Le Progres