Senegal captain Sadio Mane has explained the thinking behind his decision to urge his teammates to return to the field during the tense AFCON final clash against Morocco on Sunday night.
The Lions of Teranga eventually edged the host nation 1-0 after extra time to clinch their second Africa Cup of Nations title, with Pape Gueye netting the decisive goal in the first period of extra time.
However, the final was almost thrown into chaos late in regulation time when the referee awarded Morocco a controversial penalty following an incident involving Brahim Diaz. The decision sparked furious reactions from the Senegalese players, who briefly walked off the pitch in protest.
Cameras later showed Mane stepping in to calm the situation, calling his teammates back and insisting they continue the match despite their displeasure.
Reflecting on the incident after the game, the Al-Nassr forward said he felt stopping play entirely would have sent the wrong message to fans around the world.
“When the players decided to leave the pitch and refuse to play, I stayed behind and spoke to a few people, asking whether it was the right thing to do,” Mane explained.
“After thinking about it, I felt the best option was to bring everyone back. Football is football. Referees can make mistakes sometimes, and as players, we are also part of the game and emotions can run high.”
Mane added that while opinions may differ on whether the penalty decision was correct, the integrity of the game mattered more.
“People watching around the world will always judge what happened. It could have been a penalty or maybe not, but that wasn’t the most important thing. What mattered was respecting the game and the fans. It wouldn’t have been right to stop such a big match in that manner,” he said.
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