by Emmanuel Atanga | Jan 20, 2026 | AFCON, Africa, Soccer
Samuel Eto’o, President of the Cameroonian Football Federation, has heaped praise on Senegal forward Sadio Mané and defended head coach Pape Thiaw following the dramatic conclusion of the AFCON 2025 final.
Senegal claimed their second Africa Cup of Nations title after a 1–0 extra-time victory over hosts Morocco on Sunday night. The final was briefly thrown into chaos in stoppage time when a late penalty was awarded to Morocco, prompting some Senegalese players to walk off the pitch in protest before eventually returning to complete the match.
Speaking to the media, Eto’o described Mané as one of Africa’s greatest footballers, highlighting his exceptional leadership and ability to guide his teammates through a highly charged encounter. He also expressed hope that Mané would receive further recognition on the global stage for his achievements.
Eto’o defended Senegal coach Pape Thiaw, emphasizing that emotions often run high in decisive matches. Recalling a similar incident from his own career—when he faced suspension for refusing to withdraw his team during a heated Cameroon vs. Morocco encounter—Eto’o stressed that such decisions are driven by passion rather than poor judgment.
He commended Thiaw’s courage, noting that standing by his players carried risks but ultimately paid off, as Senegal lifted the AFCON trophy in a tense and memorable final.
by Emmanuel Atanga | Jan 20, 2026 | AFCON, Africa, Nigeria, Soccer
The Confederation of African Football has confirmed the full list of award winners for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following the tournament’s dramatic finale in Morocco on Sunday, January 18, with Senegal captain Sadio Mané leading the honours.
Here are the full award winners from AFCON 2025:
🏆 Champions: Senegal
🥈 Runners‑Up: Morocco
🥉 Third Place: Nigeria
🌟 Player of the Tournament (Golden Ball): Sadio Mané (Senegal)
🥅 Top Scorer (Golden Boot): Brahim Díaz (Morocco) — 5 goals
🧤 Best Goalkeeper (Golden Glove): Yassine Bounou (Morocco)
🤝 Fair Play Award: Morocco
Mané’s leadership and influence throughout the competition earned him the coveted Best Player award, while Morocco’s Díaz topped the scoring charts despite his team missing out on the title. Bounou’s commanding performances between the posts saw him named the tournament’s outstanding goalkeeper, and Morocco was also recognised with the Fair Play trophy for its overall conduct.
by Emmanuel Atanga | Jan 20, 2026 | AFCON, Africa, Europe, International, Soccer
Senegal earned millions of dollars after clinching the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on January 18, defeating hosts Morocco 1–0 in a dramatic and chaotic final in Rabat. Pape Gueye’s extra-time strike secured the Teranga Lions’ second AFCON title, following a match overshadowed by Senegal’s brief walk-off in protest and Morocco’s Brahim Díaz missing a stoppage-time Panenka penalty.
Díaz, who finished as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals, saw his penalty saved by Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, denying Morocco a first continental crown in 50 years. Extra time saw Senegal regroup, with Gueye surging forward to fire a left-footed shot past Yassine Bounou into the top corner, sealing victory.
Although Kalidou Koulibaly was suspended, he celebrated in full kit and handed the Africa Cup of Nations trophy from FIFA president Gianni Infantino to Sadio Mané, who lifted it in what could be his final AFCON appearance.
The victory comes with a substantial financial reward. CAF President Patrice Motsepe had announced that the 2025 AFCON winners would receive $10 million, up from $7 million awarded to Ivory Coast in the previous edition. Runners-up Morocco earned $4 million, while Nigeria and Egypt collected $2.5 million each for reaching the semi-finals. According to beIN Sports, Senegal is guaranteed $7 million for the title itself, the highest single prize in AFCON history, and combined with earnings from earlier rounds, the team can take home up to $11.6 million in total.
When compared to the Euros, AFCON prize money remains modest. Spain, who won Euro 2024 by beating England 2–1 in Berlin thanks to a late goal from Mikel Oyarzabal, earned €28.25 million, while England collected €24.25 million as runners-up.
by Emmanuel Atanga | Jan 20, 2026 | AFCON, Africa, Soccer
Before the Africa Cup of Nations final, Sadio Mané spoke with CAF Media about leadership, legacy, and how he wished to be remembered. “I’ve never wanted to be remembered only as a great footballer,” he said. “I want to be remembered as a great human being. For me, that is far more important.” On Sunday night in Rabat, Mané’s words became action.
Senegal’s 1–0 extra-time victory over hosts Morocco will be remembered for its drama: a disallowed goal, a late VAR-awarded penalty, a walk-off, a missed Panenka, and a stunning winner from Pape Gueye. At the heart of the storm was Mané, whose composure and guidance prevented Senegal’s protest from becoming a stain on African football’s premier stage.
Late in injury time, a penalty awarded to Morocco infuriated the Senegal bench.
Acting on instructions from head coach Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest. Tensions escalated as the match was halted for nearly fifteen minutes, compounded by an earlier disallowed goal and ongoing frustration over logistical issues during the team’s relocation from Tangier to Rabat.
Recognizing the stakes, Mané took responsibility. He gestured to his teammates, urging them to return and continue the game. Following discussions with African football icons Claude Le Roy, El Hadji Diouf, and Mamadou Niang, he persuaded the team to resume play.
Brahim Díaz’s Panenka was saved by Édouard Mendy, sending the match into extra time, where Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal to secure Senegal’s second AFCON crown.
Reflecting afterward, Mané said, “Personally, I don’t think it was a penalty, but if the referee decides, you have to respect it. The most important thing is the people watching. It would not have been fair to stop the game like that. I would rather lose than see something like that happen to our game.”
Coach Thiaw later acknowledged his error in ordering the walk-off, apologizing for the momentary lapse in judgment.
At the trophy ceremony, Mané was lifted by his teammates to hoist the AFCON trophy, despite not being the captain — a role held by Kalidou Koulibaly, with Idrissa Gana Gueye as vice-captain. Gueye passed the armband to Mané, symbolizing that leadership is defined by influence, not title.
Mané described the final as a moment to give everything: “This match could be my last in the AFCON. There was no tomorrow, no day after tomorrow, it was today. I had to give everything.”
Celebrations in the dressing room highlighted Mané’s impact, with Senegalese-French actor Omar Sy and Senegalese-American singer Akon congratulating him personally. Six months from now, Mané is expected to conclude his international career at the 2026 World Cup, but his legacy was already secured before the final whistle in Rabat.
On a night when protest threatened to dominate the narrative, Sadio Mané ensured that leadership and responsibility defined the story instead.
by Emmanuel Atanga | Jan 20, 2026 | AFCON, Africa, Nigeria, Soccer
Former Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré has described Nigeria’s Super Eagles as the most impressive team at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria enjoyed an outstanding run at the tournament, scoring 14 goals and conceding just four across the competition.
The Super Eagles were particularly dominant in the knockout stages, where they did not concede a single goal, underlining their balance between attacking flair and defensive solidity.
Despite being knocked out in the semi-finals by Morocco in a closely contested encounter, Touré believes Nigeria stood out for their style of play and consistency. He noted that the Super Eagles emerged as the tournament’s most attack-minded side before their campaign came to an end.
Speaking to Sportsblog247.com, the former African Footballer of the Year revealed his admiration for several teams, including Algeria, who impressed him before being eliminated by Nigeria in the quarter-finals.
“I’ve been watching the AFCON, and I’ve actually been there too,” Touré said. “I have been impressed with Algeria, but they were eliminated by Nigeria.”
Touré also praised Morocco under head coach Walid Regragui, describing the Atlas Lions as efficient and direct in their approach.
“I’ve been really impressed with the team that Walid Regragui is coaching,” he added. “They are very practical, very straightforward, and they focus on quick counter-attacks.”
However, the former Barcelona star reserved his highest praise for Nigeria, insisting the Super Eagles had the tournament’s standout performers.
“I was really impressed with Nigeria. Nigeria plays good football,” Touré said. “When you look at the stats, they’ve been scoring more goals than usual. It feels like a full attack, playing really good football.”
He concluded by stating that Nigeria’s quality was driven by having what he described as the two best players in Africa, even though their journey ended in the semi-finals.
Nigeria went on to secure the bronze medal, defeating Egypt 4–2 on penalties after a draw in the third-place playoff.
