Raymond Hack, the former chair of the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Disciplinary Committee, has said that the incidents which marred the Africa Cup of Nations final were directly caused by the actions of Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw, arguing that the sanctions imposed fell far short of the seriousness of the events.
Hack’s remarks were reported by British-Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwana, a former BBC journalist and current writer for The Guardian and The Observer, in a post published on his X account following a phone conversation with the former CAF official after the disciplinary verdict was issued.
According to Obayiuwana, Hack said that after reviewing the decision of the CAF Disciplinary Committee, he believed the body “missed an opportunity to impose the sanctions that were truly necessary.” He described the AFCON final as “probably the most important and certainly the most embarrassing situation CAF has ever faced,” excluding incidents involving loss of life or stadium collapses.
Hack attributed the origin of the crisis to the Senegal coach’s decision to call his players off the pitch, stressing that without that move, “you may not have had the reaction from the supporters, nor the reaction from the players.” He also condemned the conduct of the ball boys, describing it as unacceptable and something that “should never, ever happen again.”
The former disciplinary chief was particularly critical of the five-match suspension and $100,000 fine imposed on Thiaw, arguing that the punishment was “minimal compared to the damage done to CAF’s image.” He said the coach should have been banned from all football-related activities for at least six months, with a heavier fine borne by the Senegalese Football Federation.
Hack further warned that the situation could have turned into a tragedy had it not been for the intervention of Senegal star Sadio Mané, adding that the incident reinforced negative perceptions about crowd control in African football—an area CAF has long sought to improve.
He also questioned the logic of allowing the Senegal coach to continue participating in major competitions, including the World Cup, despite the severity of the incident, describing this as “something I cannot reconcile.” In the same context, he criticised the suspensions imposed on players, arguing that banning a player for two matches for bringing the game into disrepute lacks clear justification.
Hack concluded by suggesting that if the coach did not know how to behave in such high-pressure situations, “he should never have been put in that position,” adding that he would be surprised if the Senegalese Football Federation failed to take internal disciplinary action against him.
