The African Football Confederation (CAF) officially announced that Morocco has won the Fair Play Award for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

However, despite receiving the award, Morocco repeatedly sparked controversy during the tournament. In the semi-final, Moroccan ball boys were seen attempting multiple times to “take away” the towel of Nigeria’s goalkeeper, which drew strong complaints from the Nigerian team. Nigeria’s goalkeeper even openly stated that, while defending against Moroccan players, they also had to watch out for Moroccan ball boys stealing towels on the sidelines.

The controversy reached its peak in the final. In the match on January 18, Morocco lost to Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations final, and the stadium order briefly descended into chaos. A video from the game showed Senegal’s substitute goalkeeper, Yevan Diouf, being knocked to the ground by three Moroccan ball boys during the match and dragged several meters, as they tried to prevent him from protecting Senegal’s goalkeeper Mendy’s towel. Moroccan player Achraf Hakimi was also involved in the towel dispute, attempting to hide the towel behind an advertising board.

More chaotic scenes occurred during the match: Senegal players walked off the field in anger after a controversial penalty, fans stormed onto the pitch, police intervened to restore order, and disputes broke out between players during the game. Even though there were multiple instances of “bad temper” and clashes on the sidelines, Morocco ultimately still received the Fair Play Award.

According to CAF regulations, the Fair Play Award is intended to recognize “the team that demonstrates the best fair play spirit and embodies sportsmanship during the final phase of the Africa Cup of Nations.” This decision has clearly sparked controversy, especially as Senegal has voiced strong objections.