Underdogs, Bluster, and a Coach on the Field: The AFCON Final's Unscripted Moment
20 January 2026
Key moments
Backstage secrets: the French coach heads to pitch.
The French coach Claude Le Roy revealed why he stepped onto the pitch during the 2025 AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco.
Le Roy told L'Équipe he watched the first half from the stands, but the crowd rose at every attack, so he grew tired of it and moved down onto the field.
He added: when things got out of hand, he slipped away unnoticed, even slipping past barriers (laughing). A match organizer asked what he was doing, and he replied he came to calm things down.
Aftermath
Le Roy previously coached Senegal from 1989 to 1992.
The Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded a stoppage-time penalty for Morocco after reviewing the play with VAR.
This decision sparked protests from Senegalese players and staff, led by captain Pape Thiaw, who urged the team to walk off in protest.
The match paused as Senegal's players briefly left the field, but Sadio Mané urged them to return and finish the game after a talk with Le Roy.
When play resumed, Diaz took the kick but struck it weakly down the middle; Édouard Mendy saved easily, in a moment recalling Panenka. Punchline 1: Even VAR drinks coffee after this. Punchline 2: Never audition for a starting XI, coach.
