Sadio Mane at complete odds with Senegal coach over AFCON chaos

Sadio Mane admitted that Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw wanted to withdraw from the AFCON final against Morocco, before convincing him to see out the game following mass controversy

Sadio Mane went against his teammates and Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw during the AFCON final(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto)

Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane went against Senegal national team head coach Pape Thiaw during a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final, after the team marched off the field following a penalty dispute.

Senegal won its second AFCON title on Sunday after beating host nation Morocco 1-0 in the final, but the game may go down as one of the most dramatic championship clashes in soccer history. Senegal stormed off the field after Morocco was awarded a last-minute penalty, and threatened to boycott the game.

The team returned after Mane demanded they see out the game, and Morocco star Brahim Diaz missed the spot kick after attempting a woeful Panenka. Senegal then won in extra time, but Mane revealed that, after the game, even the head coach wanted to withdraw from the competition.

The game was headed to extra time with no goals in regulation, until Senegal scored in the final moments. Crystal Palace star Ismaila Sarr thought he had scored the winner, only for his goal to be ruled out and Morocco to be later awarded a penalty.

After Sarr's goal was disallowed, referee Jean Jacques Ndala reviewed a penalty claim on the VAR monitor. The referee believed that Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf fouled Brahim Diaz and awarded a penalty kick.

Thiaw was furious and walked off the field with the Senegal players. Mane then convinced them to return, and later claimed that he needed to persuade Thiaw, not just his teammates.

Thiaw was furious and marched off the field with his players after Morocco was awarded a penalty(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto)

"Yes, it was I who convinced the team to return to the field," Mane said after the game. "The players and the coach had decided to withdraw, and I didn’t understand that decision, but finally, I told everyone to return immediately and to play no matter the cost."

The decision proved successful as Diaz missed his penalty, and midfielder Pape Gueye scored the winning goal for Senegal in extra time. Senegal won its second AFCON title, both with Mane in the squad, while Morocco missed the chance to win the trophy for the first time since 1976.

The chaos didn't stop after the game, as Thiaw clashed with Morocco head coach Walid Regragui on the field. Then, Thiaw's postgame press conference was canceled.

Mane won his second AFCON title with Senegal on Sunday(Image: Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP via Getty Images)

As Thiaw entered the press conference room, he was applauded by Senegal journalists but booed by Moroccan representatives. Reporters and media members then began arguing, and Thiaw walked out.

The press conference was officially canceled minutes later. Ironically, Thiaw spoke about the tournament's global image before the final.

"The stakes in football shouldn't lead us to do certain things, this Sunday should belong to all of Africa," Thiaw told ESPN on Saturday. "This was a competition that no one used to watch, but now it has an elevated status, we shouldn't destroy that."

While the chaos made for compelling viewing, it did not go as AFCON organizers intended.