The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, won Sunday night by Senegal against Morocco after extra time (1-0), was marked by some crazy moments and, unfortunately, significant tension. In particular, there was a penalty awarded to Morocco at the end of regulation time. The Senegalese players refused to play for a while and went to the locker room. There, Ibrahim Mbaye, the 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain and Lions of Teranga striker, replied to a message on Snapchat criticizing the refereeing. His photo was shared on social media, and the Parisian youth player apologized today.
The message shared by his friend:
“Peace, we’re getting robbed.”
The apology:
““I’m sorry about the photo I took in the locker room. I wasn’t thinking when I took it; it was in the heat of the moment. It’s not the right attitude, and it won’t happen again.””
Mbaye did not act appropriately. He shouldn’t have used his phone at such a time, much less to criticize the referee. Even if his frustration is understandable. You could say it was a youthful mistake, although we’ve seen more experienced players make the same errors.
There’s nothing dramatic about it either, considering what we saw on the pitch. The striker also had the good sense to apologize quickly. Hopefully, it will be quickly forgotten, and he’ll have learned from this experience.
