Moroccan Court Sentences 19 Supporters to Prison for Hooliganism at 2025 Africa Cup of Nations

JAKARTA - A Moroccan court on Thursday, February 19, 2026 local time, sentenced 19 supporters to up to one year in prison for hooliganism in the chaotic 2025 African Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal, where supporters tried to invade the field.

After the hearing, which lasted more than five hours, the presiding judge ruled that the supporters - 18 Senegalese and one French citizen - were guilty of more than half a dozen charges, including damaging sports facilities and committing violence during sporting events.

Naima El Guellaf's lawyer told the Associated Press that 11 people were sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of 550 US dollars. Four people were sentenced to six months and a fine of 218 US dollars. Four others were sentenced to three months and a fine of 130 US dollars.

One of the defendants fainted after hearing the sentence. Others refused to rise from the defendant's bench when ordered to enter a small door leading to the prison cell. Family members, who appeared shaken, insisted that their relatives were innocent.

Lawyers said they plan to appeal the decision, which they consider too harsh.

The defendants were arrested last month when angry supporters tried to storm the pitch to protest a penalty awarded to hosts Morocco late in the final, which Senegal eventually won 1-0. They have been held for more than a month awaiting a verdict.

During the hearing on Thursday, which was attended by diplomats from Senegal and France as well as relatives of some of the defendants, the lawyers argued that the court did not have enough grounds to convict their clients.

The public prosecutor asked for the maximum penalty for the supporters, on the grounds that they had disrupted the orderly course of the match. He added that the losses were estimated at more than 476,719 US dollars.

Morocco has long grappled with episodes of football-related hooliganism. Courts in the North African country routinely handle cases related to the incidents. However, this case is unusual because it only involves foreign nationals.

The sentence marked the latest development to emerge from the final match, which prompted senior officials in both countries to call for peace and brotherhood amid social media tensions and a spike in what Moroccan rights groups described as "hate speech".

Last month, CAF (Confederation of African Football), issued a fine and ban of 1 million US dollars against Senegal and Morocco for the turbulent match.

Morocco announced its plans to appeal the decision as it considered the sanctions disproportionate to the incident.

As an illustration, the match was colored by the Senegalese players who left the field in protest of the penalty given to Morocco in injury time.

Angry Senegal supporters then threw chairs onto the pitch and clashed with security before police arrived.

The match and its outcome prompted senior officials in both countries to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties they described as "strong and historic", seeking to prevent the match from worsening bilateral relations.