A day after the January 18, 2026 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final match between Morocco and Senegal, widely-circulated claims on social media platforms suggested that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had suspended Senegalese coach Pape Thiaw for his role in a brief boycott by his team during the 2025 AFCON final.
Thiaw ordered his players to leave the pitch after a controversial decision by the referee to award the hosts (Morocco) a penalty in stoppage time. After a delay of several minutes, play resumed even as Morocco missed the penalty, forcing the game to end in a goalless draw in regulation time. The final proceeded into extra time before Senegal secured a 1-0 victory in the first half of extra time.
The claim that Thiaw had been suspended by CAF gained traction and was shared widely on Facebook and X. (See here, here, here, here, and here)
In fact-checking this claim, we relied on CAF’s statement of January 19 announcing its condemnation of the fracas and the institution of a probe pending final action. We also spoke to a source within CAF who said there was “no truth” to the claims. “Initial proceedings only started this morning but nothing has come out,” our source added. Our verdict, therefore, is that the claim is FALSE. Pape Thiaw has not been suspended by CAF.
You can read our full report: False! CAF has NOT suspended Senegalese manager Pape Thiaw
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