Sadio Mane made 'rather lose' admission after AFCON controversy before result changed

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The AFCON final result has been overturned with Morocco handed a 3-0 win to strip Sadio Mane and Senegal of their second title after a dramatic and controversial final

Sadio Mane and Senegal won a shocking AFCON final(Image: Getty)

Sadio Mane claimed he would "rather lose" than have seen the AFCON final end with his team refusing to play - only for them to get stripped of the trophy they thought they had won weeks later.

Mane's Senegal faced enormous controversy after Morocco was given a dubious penalty of the last minute of the final in January. Senegal's players, led by manager Pape Thiaw, left the field, refusing to continue playing.

But Liverpool legend Mane eventually convinced them to return, before Brahim Diaz missed his spot kick and Senegal then won the game 1-0 in extra-time. Mane made "rewarded" comments after the game that now are painted in a heartbreaking new light.

But AFCON organizers have now reversed the result and handed Morocco a 3-0 win, explaining their ruling in a bombshell statement.

At the time of the controversy, Mane reflected on the incident and why he intervened to ensure the game did not end as it looked like it might with Senegal refusing to finish the game.

"I think it was the best thing to do," Mané said. "This is not just football.

"The most important thing is the people watching. It would not have been fair to stop the game like that.

"We have to give a good image for football. I would rather lose than see something like that happen to our game."

AFCON organizers have reversed the result of the final and given Morocco victory(Image: Getty)

His manager, Thiaw, also expressed regret for his handling of things.

"We shouldn’t have reacted like that," he said. "We apologize to football. Sometimes you react in the heat of the moment. We accept that referees can make mistakes."

However, the trophy has now been stripped from Senegal and handed to Morocco. It sees Mane loses what he referred to as the biggest achievement of his life, even after winning the Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool, when he first won it in 2022

"It's the best day of my life and the best trophy of my life," he said after his first AFCON final win.

"I won the Champions League and some [other] trophies but this is the special one for me. This is more important for me."