The Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal was not just a match decided by penalties or referee decisions. That night, as often happens during moments of high football intensity in Africa, football went beyond its sporting dimension to become another language: that of emotion, identity alignment, and symbolic confrontation between “us” and “them.”
According to information obtained by “Maroc Maintenant” from associations representing the Moroccan community in Senegal, the tension did not stop at the end of the match. It extended to the streets of Dakar, where many Moroccans, including students, merchants, and healthcare professionals, experienced difficult hours, mixing the feeling of sporting defeat with a deeper vulnerability: the fragility of their presence in the face of collective anger.
The joint statement from the Collective of Moroccan Doctors in Senegal and the League of Moroccan Students in Senegal was not a political text, but a manifesto of concern. Its language was cautious but clear: clashes, tensions, and “regrettable” events affected some members of the community directly after the match. What the statement did not detail was confirmed through cross-testimonies from Moroccans living in Dakar: material damage to cars and shops, vandalism in student housing, and neighborhoods where the atmosphere suddenly changed, as if the sporting cheers had turned into hostility.
Elias, a young Moroccan doctor, sums up the moment with simple but meaningful words:
“A few moments before the final whistle, everything changed. The cheers were no longer festive; they were angry, some held us responsible for what was happening on the field… as if we were running the match ourselves.”
Elias was not attacked, but the idea that Moroccan cars had been vandalized and shops closed out of fear was enough to create a feeling that the line between joy and anger was fragile, almost dangerous.
For students, another factor emerged: isolation.
Fadwa, a medical student, explains that warning messages circulated among Moroccan students after the match, urging them to stay in their residences. “It wasn’t widespread chaos, but it was enough for us to feel exposed, with no official statements explaining what was happening.”
Mohamed El Yamani, a Moroccan merchant settled in Senegal for years, puts the event in context:
“Our daily relationships with Senegalese people are excellent. What happened was not an expression of society, but a moment of uncontrolled anger. What made the situation worse was the official silence.”
In this context, Hassan Nasseri, the Moroccan ambassador to Senegal, stated that the embassy received no official complaints from members of the Moroccan community, except for the incident at the famous café, where Senegalese citizens threw projectiles, and the assault of three Moroccan students near Place de la République. The ambassador added that the Senegalese police intervened, the situation is moving toward calm, and these incidents remain isolated.
Regarding the café, Nasseri explained that the first floor hosted between 150 and 200 Senegalese and Moroccan clients, and the projectile throwing surprised those present, forcing them to take shelter inside until the police arrived, with the help of some Senegalese who tried to persuade the attackers to stop. The incident caused damage to windows and doors, as well as the theft of five motorcycles, three belonging to Moroccans and two to Senegalese. The café is equipped with surveillance cameras and resumed activity the next day.
These official elements are important, but they do not remove fundamental questions. Even if the incidents are described as “limited” by the ambassador, their symbolism exceeds their scale. An attack on a Moroccan place and on Moroccan students in a friendly African capital is never trivial; it reveals how sporting anger can turn into identity tension when there is no proper framework and information.
The problem is not limited to Senegal. Africa is currently experiencing a football resurgence with massive popularity, but this popularity, when left without cultural or media guidance, can easily slide into the demonization of “the other,” especially when the other is performing well or a serious competitor, like Morocco in recent years.
Responsibility is twofold:
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That of the host state, guaranteeing the security of everyone without distinction,
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That of Moroccan diplomacy, which should not be limited to noting the absence of complaints but must act proactively to protect the community and establish communication channels with local authorities and civil society.
Community is measured not only by the number of complaints but by the sense of security. The most dangerous thing in this type of incident is to normalize them as mere “emotional reactions” related to football. History teaches us that many conflicts start with a spark and can turn into a fire if not extinguished carefully.
The most important message today is not just that “the situation is moving toward calm,” but that lessons must be learned: football can be a bridge between peoples, but if poorly managed in terms of media or security, it can also become fuel for division.
