Sadio Mané on why he returned after Africa Cup protest | OneFootball

This Sunday, the final of the Africa Cup of Nations was marked by a game ending full of controversy. At the end of the match, the Senegal players left the field in protest before the game was officially over. However, minutes later, they returned after being influenced by former Liverpool striker, Sadio Mané.

The scenes unfolded in the 53rd minute of the second half, when the referee, with the help of VAR, awarded a penalty to the Morocco national team, just minutes after disallowing a Senegal goal. The decision was not well received by Senegalese coach Pape Thiaw, who ordered his team to leave the field.

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The match was interrupted for 16 minutes, until Mané, the only player who remained on the field, went to the locker room and returned with the entire squad back to the pitch.

Sadio Mané justifies his decision

After the match, Sadio explained the reason behind his decision.

“Imagine for a second going into the locker room and the football match stopping there. I think that would send a negative image of our football. I believe Africa today doesn’t deserve that. African football has evolved in an incredible way and the proof is that it’s followed all over the world. So, for my part, I did what I had to do,” he explained.

“I think it would be crazy not to play this match, because, what? The referee awarded a penalty and we leave the game? I think that would be the worst thing, especially in African football. I’d rather lose than see something like that happen to our football,” he added.

After the match resumed, Real Madrid striker Brahim Díaz missed his penalty after attempting a “chip shot” straight into goalkeeper Mendy’s hands.

The game went into extra time, where, just four minutes into the added period, Villareal midfielder Pape Gueye scored the goal that secured Senegal’s second title in the competition.

Coaches disagree over protest

In a post-match interview, Senegal’s coach apologized for his decision to take the team off the field.

“After reflecting on what happened, I had them return (to the field) – you can react in the heat of the moment. We acknowledge the referee’s mistakes. We shouldn’t have done it, but it’s done now and we apologize to football,” he said.

However, Morocco’s head coach, Walid Regragui, criticized Thiaw’s decision.

“The image we’re giving of Africa is shameful. A coach who asks his players to leave the field… What Pape did does not honor Africa,” said Regragui.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.