CAN 2025: the Rabat Court of Appeal confirms the detention of Senegalese supporters

The legal saga is over. The Rabat Court of Appeal has confirmed the convictions handed down at first instance against several fans involved in the incidents surrounding the AFCON 2025 final. In total, nine people were sentenced to one year in prison. Six others received six months of imprisonment, while three defendants were sanctioned with three months’ detention. The fines initially imposed were also upheld, sealing the group’s legal fate.

This decision brings to a close a closely watched proceeding, after riots that required police intervention during this highly anticipated showdown between Morocco and Senegal. By this verdict, Moroccan justice sends a clear signal: no tolerance will be shown for violence in stadiums or around them. It also validates the way the facts were framed in the first judgment. Among the convicted, three supporters have already regained their freedom. Having served their three-month sentence, they are the first to be released from detention in this case.