Moroccan prosecutors on Thursday sought jail terms of up to two years for 18 Senegalese football fans imprisoned in Rabat since last month’s AFCON final over “hooliganism”, an AFP journalist reported.

Seeking the maximum penalty for some, the prosecution told the court that the defendants had “deliberately sought to disrupt the proper conduct of the match”.

It said the group “committed acts of violence broadcast live on television”, while the defendants have denied any wrongdoing.

The Senegalese fans have been in pre-trial detention since January 18, the day of the heated AFCON final in which Morocco lost to Senegal 1-0 on home turf.

Minutes before the end of the match, some Senegalese supporters attempted a pitch invasion, while Senegal’s players halted the game for nearly 20 minutes to protest a late penalty awarded to Morocco.

Some fans were also seen throwing objects onto the field, including a chair.

The prosecution said evidence against the defendants was based on footage from surveillance cameras at the stadium, as well as medical reports documenting injuries among security forces and stadium stewards.

Material damage to the stadium was estimated at more than 4 million Moroccan dirhams ($430,000), the prosecution said.

Morocco is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.

AFP

World football governing body FIFA is yet to deliver its verdict on the petition submitted by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during last November’s 2026 World Cup African play-offs, The PUNCH reports.

Nigerians were kept on edge on Monday in anticipation of the ruling, as the intercontinental play-offs are scheduled to take place from March 26 to 31 in Mexico.

The Super Eagles missed out on automatic qualification during the qualifying series last year but advanced to the African play-offs, where they were eventually beaten by DR Congo on penalties.

Several unconfirmed reports circulated on Monday regarding the team’s fate, but NFF President Ibrahim Gusau said the federation was still awaiting communication from FIFA.

“We are still waiting to hear from FIFA. We are hopeful, by the grace of God,” Gusau said.

DR Congo have been drawn to face the winner of the tie between New Caledonia and Jamaica for a chance to secure one of the two available World Cup slots.

As the play-offs approach, a verdict from FIFA is expected soon, with the NFF maintaining confidence in its case.

“We believe that we have a chance; that is why we petitioned. If we knew we didn’t have a chance, we wouldn’t have petitioned. That is our submission — it is now left to FIFA to decide,” the NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, told The PUNCH.

Nigeria’s protest is based on the alleged improper switch of nationality by some DR Congo players.

According to FIFA statutes, a player may request to change the association they are eligible to represent only once. The process requires a written and substantiated application, carried out in line with domestic regulations and approved by FIFA’s Players’ Status Committee.

FIFA regulations require a player to hold a passport of the new country they wish to represent — even if they also possess another nationality. However, Congolese law does not permit dual nationality, a point believed to be central to Nigeria’s complaint.

Like the NFF, there remains a sense of hope among the players.

“We’re still waiting — hopefully we can go to the World Cup,” midfielder Alex Iwobi said recently.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, suggested that the final recourse for either Nigeria or DR Congo could be the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA delivers its decision.

“It requires a lot of things, and by the time it is finally decided, whether Nigeria wins or DR Congo wins, I believe the case might even go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” Dikko said in Morocco last month.

“For us, we are waiting to see how it goes. All I know is that FIFA is still handling the petition,” he added.

The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 across 16 cities in the three host countries.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM