Hundreds of protesters marched through Dakar on Saturday in support of 18 Senegal fans jailed in Morocco following disruptions during the Africa Cup of Nations final in January.
AFP journalists at the scene said protesters chanted “Free the hostages” while holding placards and waving Senegalese flags.
The jailed supporters were tried for hooliganism on February 19 and given sentences ranging from three months to one year in prison by a Rabat court. Nine of those involved were sentenced to a year in jail and fined 460 euros ($544) each.
The incident occurred late in the final when Morocco was awarded a penalty, and a section of Senegal fans physically struggled with security in a bid to gain access to the pitch. Senegal won the match 1-0 in extra-time after Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the controversial penalty.
Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko told parliament that the judgement went too far, saying Morocco’s handling of the case “does not honour” relations between the two countries. Sonko also insisted Senegal was doing “everything it had to do” to obtain the release of its 18 nationals.
Saturday’s protest is the latest development in the diplomatic friction between the two African nations following the AFCON final incidents.
