Former Nigeria international, Odion Ighalo, ex-South Africa forward, Teko Modise and former Chelsea forward, Solomon Kalou, have condemned Senegal for walking off the pitch over a referee decision in the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
While the game was tilting towards a 0-0 end, the centre referee disallowed Ismaila Sarr’s header for a foul on Achraf Hakimi.
Then in the 97th minute, the host nation were awarded a controversial penalty which led to a lot of tension.
At a point, Senegalese players walked off the pitch in protest of the referee and VAR decisions.
“The world is watching this and for talking about one the Africa Cup of Nations being the same level and of European standard, then this. This should not happen in Africa football, the coach telling player to go out of the pitch and all that,” Ighalo said on SuperSport while reacting.
“Sadio Mane saved them from embarrassment. Always been there. He has won everything. He showed it tonight. He’s a class player in and out of the field. And tonight he respected the game, because he knows it’s more about the football.
“He showed that no matter the situation, you have to respect the game, which he did, and call his teammate to come out and continue the game like he said the coach was supposed to show less emotions, but manage step up and show that he’s class guy,” Ighalo continued.
Kalou added, “I mean, Sadio Mane was not going to go outside the pitch. There he was. He made up his mind. I going to stay on the pitch. And I think that if every team have to work off the pitch because of bad decision in this tournament, then some of the team will have done that long time ago.
“So we can know we cannot just base our football on one decision of a referee.
In that situation, the coach have to be the one with less emotion. Yeah, because they’re out of the pitch. If it is the players we understand. But when you’re the coach and you’re outside, you have to play with less emotion. And sometimes I think Sadio Mane was the one today who made that team to that win the match.”
South Africa’s Teko Modise, said, “And also it helps as well, because he’s got so much respect from his peers, and he has won everything, and he’s a superstar, and in his behavior and his demeanor, he’s the one that still stays on the pitch.
“Look at the leadership that he has… calling the player back on the pitch. And there’s a moment as well where the emotions are flying. There’s a penalty you feel like maybe you shouldn’t have got it, but at another day, we can’t be in a space where if you feel like the decision is not going your way, and then you want to walk out of the pitch, that’s the football.
“He was like, come let’s play. It’s not a problem. Let’s play. That’s what he was telling his teammate, that to tell you is they respect him for what he had won and what the big player that is. But also he understand that it was important for his team to get back on the pitch.”
A first-half extra-time strike from Papa Gueye was enough for Senegalese to claim the trophy in Morocco.
AFCON: ‘Everyone respects him – Ighalo, Modise, Kalou react as Mane recalls Senegalese players
