Africa Cup final chaos won’t dent African unity, says Moroccan King

King Mohammed VI said Africa Cup final tensions will not damage continental unity, stressing that African solidarity remains stronger than any attempts to divide it, according to the Middle East Monitor.

In a statement issued by the Moroccan royal palace on January 22, the King addressed the 35th Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco between 21 December 2025 and 18 January 2026, which brought together 24 national teams from across the African continent and attracted millions of viewers worldwide.

“Nothing can harm the closeness that has been built over centuries between our African peoples, nor the fruitful cooperation among the continent’s countries,” King Mohammed VI said, adding that political, economic and cultural partnerships across Africa continue to grow. He also described the tournament as a historic milestone for African football, highlighting both its sporting achievements and Morocco’s broader development progress. According to the monarch, the event served as a platform to demonstrate the country’s long-term development vision and its governance model, which places citizens’ welfare and social inclusion at the centre of national policy.

“This edition will remain a landmark in the history of continental competition,” the King said, noting that the tournament reflected Africa’s growing organisational capacity and international sporting profile. He added that the successful hosting of the event underscored Morocco’s infrastructure investments and its commitment to strengthening regional integration through sports diplomacy. However, the monarch acknowledged that the final match between Morocco and Senegal was overshadowed by disturbances in the closing minutes, describing the incidents as “shameful acts and behaviour” that ran contrary to the spirit of fair play and mutual respect promoted by the tournament.

The monarch said, “Once passions and emotions calm down, the bonds of African brotherhood will naturally prevail,” stressing that such incidents should not define the overall legacy of the competition. King Mohammed VI concluded by reaffirming that Morocco’s success in hosting the Africa Cup of Nations “is, in fact, a success for all of Africa,” emphasising that the tournament represented a collective achievement for the continent rather than a single nation. The Africa Cup of Nations is widely regarded as the continent’s most prestigious football competition and continues to play a significant role in promoting unity and regional cooperation across Africa.

Middle East Monitor, Maghrebi.org