Sadio Mane explains why he did not walk off the pitch with Senegal teammates during AFCON final

Senegal superstar Sadio Mane has opened up on the incident that nearly ruined the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.

Mane showed great leadership at a time when emotions were running high as he had to plead with his teammates to return to the pitch when they wanted to boycott the final.

The game looked to be incident-free with few chances created in 90 minutes but in injury time, Senegal scored but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Achraf Hakimi, which the Senegalese contested.

Do not forget this moment from Sadio Mané. He is a true leader. 🇸🇳👏 pic.twitter.com/97r91hI7JD

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 18, 2026

Moments later, Morocco were awarded a penalty, which the Senegalese contested, claiming Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ngambo Ndala was favouring the host nation, with their coach Pape Thiaw calling the players off the pitch.

Dramatic scenes in final minutes

A number of the players yielded to the calls but a few senior stars, led by Sadio Mane and Idrissa Gueye, did not and pleaded with the rest to come back. Mane even went to the dressing room to fetch his teammates who resumed the match.

Brahim Diaz would miss the penalty, sending the game into extra-time, where Pape Gueye scored a brilliant goal to win. After the game, Mane explained why he stayed on the pitch and not tried to boycott the game like his other teammates.

Sadio Mané on what happened during the #AFCON final. How he urged his team to return to play after the controversial call from the match official. ❌

Also he didn't recognize Amrabat 🤣 pic.twitter.com/U8HseGLUqo

— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) January 19, 2026

“African football deserved more than this, to end the game like this…” Mane told journalists at the mixed zone.

Why did Mane not walk off the pitch?

“African football is developing incredibly and the whole world is watching the football. I think it would be very bad and sad to send that image.

“That’s why, from my side, I call my team to play. Lose as men, win as men. It’s what we did. In the end of the day, we got lucky, and we win.”

Mane, voted Player of the Tournament, has confirmed this is his last AFCON tournament, having played his 124^th match for Senegal.

“I would love to play again but this is my last time, I’m really sorry. But I will be the 12th man to support them,” stated the 33-year-old, who is likely to retire from international football after the 2026 World Cup.