The 2026 AFCON final between Senegal and host nation Morocco will be remembered not just for Senegal’s dramatic extra-time triumph, but also for one of the strangest subplots in African football history — a “towel tussle” involving Senegal’s goalkeeper Édouard Mendy and members of the Moroccan camp.
🌧️ Why the Towel Mattered
Goalkeepers at elite level always keep towels close to hand during adverse weather to dry gloves, hands, and even the ball. In a rain-soaked final at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, Mendy placed a set of towels near his goalpost for this exact purpose.
Though seemingly mundane, these towels suddenly became the focus of bizarre controversy — because Morocco’s players, staff, and ball boys repeatedly attempted to remove or steal them throughout the game.
🤼 The Towel Tussle: What Really Happened
As the tension escalated in the contest, Senegal’s reserve goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf took on an unexpected role. Instead of warming up or preparing to play, he stood behind Mendy’s goal and took upon himself the task of protecting the towels from being taken away.
According to widespread footage and reports:
Ball boys frequently tried to grab Mendy’s towels. In several viral clips, Diouf can be seen physically trying to fend them off. At times, he was seen being dragged along the ground by the towel, chased along the touchline, and even lying on the turf with a towel under him to prevent theft.
Moroccan players got involved. Captain Achraf Hakimi was filmed picking up one of the towels and flinging it behind an advertising board, forcing Senegal players to go chase it. Midfielder Ismaël Saibari was also seen actively trying to prevent Diouf from getting a towel back to Mendy.
The antics were so unusual that some commentators even described players joining in on towel “stealing” tactics to try and disrupt Mendy’s rhythm.
While the motives behind these actions remain somewhat unclear — and participants later described them with humor and confusion — the immediate result was a surreal and chaotic episode where Senegal were constantly defending one of the most inconsequential objects on a football pitch.
🏆 What It Meant for the Match
Senegal’s dedication to holding onto Mendy’s towel became symbolic of the team’s discipline and unity. Fans on social media lauded Diouf’s unlikely role, celebrating him as a national hero for something no one expected a goalkeeper to be doing in a major final.
Crucially, Mendy — with towels safely in place thanks to Diouf’s vigilance — went on to save Morocco’s late penalty taken by Brahim Díaz, a moment that tipped the psychological balance of the final. Senegal eventually won 1–0 in extra time, securing back-to-back AFCON titles.
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