Former Senegal striker Mamadou Niang has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over what he described as unsporting behaviour by Moroccan players and fans during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Niang’s comments followed viral footage from the AFCON final showing Moroccan players repeatedly taking towels meant for Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy during periods of light rain. The towels, used to dry Mendy’s gloves and face, were reportedly thrown into the stands, forcing the goalkeeper to repeatedly seek replacements.

According to Niang, the incidents appeared deliberate and mirrored what had earlier occurred in the semifinal against Nigeria, where Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali faced similar treatment. On several occasions, Nwabali was seen returning to his bench to collect new towels after his were taken away.

Speaking as a pundit on Canal+, Niang condemned the actions and placed responsibility on tournament organisers to ensure fair play.

“We saw what happened against Nigeria, where Nwabali had to keep going back to the bench to get towels to dry his gloves and face,” Niang said. “Then it happened again, several times. They took Édouard Mendy’s towel maybe five or six times.

“It started raining during extra time, which made visibility difficult and soaked his gloves. Moroccan players should never prevent a Senegalese player from handing a towel to his goalkeeper. Many strange things happened, and the organisers must take responsibility.”

Morocco reached the AFCON 2025 final after edging Nigeria 4-2 on penalties in the semifinal. Although Nwabali saved Hamza Igamane’s spot kick, misses from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi proved costly as Morocco advanced.