Moroccan midfielder Ismael Saibari visited the Senegalese team’s hotel on Monday to personally speak with Édouard Mendy and apologize for taking Mendy’s towel during the Africa Cup final.
The widely publicized "towel controversy" has finally seen an apology. According to a video posted by Senegalese media on social media, Saibari proactively went to the Senegalese team’s hotel the day after Senegal defeated host nation Morocco 1–0 in extra time to claim the Africa Cup title. The final match was marked by chaos and multiple contentious incidents, among which the "towel incident" stood out as particularly baffling.
The Towel Controversy: A Timeline of Events
During the match, several ball boys repeatedly took Mendy’s towel without permission. In addition to the ball boys, players were also involved—including Achraf Hakimi and Saibari himself, who was filmed throwing a towel into the stands.
With towels being taken repeatedly, Senegalese substitute goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf was forced to stand directly behind Mendy, tasked specifically with “protecting the towel” and handing it to him whenever needed.
This led to some surreal scenes: one ball boy tackled Diouf to the ground and chased him in an attempt to reclaim the towel—an action whose motive remains unclear. Another shocking moment occurred when Saibari stood directly in front of Diouf, blocking him from passing the towel to Mendy. The PSV Eindhoven midfielder, who was substituted in stoppage time, took the initiative on Monday to visit Mendy and explain the situation in person.
Face-to-Face Apology Eases Tensions
The specific details of their meeting were not disclosed, but publicly released footage shows the two shaking hands at length, with visibly improved rapport.
After the match, Senegalese substitute goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf also spoke about his unusual role during the game: “To me, it was just a towel—used to dry my gloves and face, nothing more. We do this all the time playing anywhere else in the world. Maybe people outside have attached some symbolic meaning to it, but to me, it was completely ordinary. I was as surprised as you all were when I saw Moroccan players and ball boys trying to take the towel. Our team had already noticed before the match that during the previous game against Nigeria, whenever our towels were placed near the touchline, Moroccan staff would come and collect them. I don’t know why they did that, but it certainly wasn’t fair.”