Hakimi's audacious towel grab in the AFCON final sparks a CAF suspension, surprisingly sparing PSG and the World Cup.
Caught in the act of throwing the Senegalese goalkeeper's towel during the last AFCON final, Achraf Hakimi has been suspended by CAF, but this fortunately concerns neither Paris Saint-Germain nor the next 2026 World Cup.
Won by Senegal's Ibrahim Mbaye last Jan. 18, the 2025 AFCON final turned into a fiasco after a controversial penalty awarded to Morocco in the 90+8th minute. The Senegalese players left the field in protest before returning and seeing Brahim Diaz miss his Panenka. A goal by Pape Gueye in extra time then allowed Senegal to be crowned.
But the final, likely the most chaotic in the competition's history, was also marked by several incidents in the stands and by several unsporting acts from the Moroccans, who tried to prevent Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from using his towel to dry himself (while it was raining heavily).
Morocco's captain, Achraf Hakimi, was notably singled out on social media for throwing the Senegalese keeper's towel during the match, even though his bad intention is far from clear, as you can see below. His behavior was, in any case, judged "unsporting" by the Disciplinary Jury of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which revealed its numerous sanctions on Wednesday night.
Hakimi Suspended For One Match By CAF
The PSG right-back has been suspended for two official CAF matches, one of which is suspended for a period of one year from the date of the decision, for unsporting behavior. This sanction only concerns CAF matches and therefore not the next 2026 World Cup.
This sanction, fortunately, does not concern PSG, even though it will have an indirect and positive consequence for the club, as Hakimi will have one less 2027 AFCON qualifier to play next September. He will likely still be called up, however, as two AFCON qualifiers will be on Morocco's schedule in September 2026.
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