Morocco’s captain, Achraf Hakimi, has apologized for what happened during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations involving towels.
During the tournament, especially in the semifinal and final matches, Moroccan players, staff, and ball boys were seen taking towels from the opposing goalkeepers. Two of the goalkeepers affected were Stanley Nwabali from Nigeria and Édouard Mendy from Senegal.
These towels were important because the weather was wet, and the goalkeepers needed them to keep their gloves dry. Without dry gloves, it is harder for them to catch the ball properly.
In the final match, videos showed Moroccan players and stadium staff removing towels meant for Mendy while it was lightly raining. The same thing happened earlier in the semifinal match against Nigeria, where Nwabali also didn’t have access to his towels.
Many people felt this was done to make things more difficult for the goalkeepers.
After a Champions League match where his club won 2–0, Hakimi spoke about the situation. He said he was not proud of what happened with the towels. He explained that the matches were very intense but admitted that the actions gave a bad image.
Despite the controversy, he said Morocco still performed well in the tournament and respected their opponents.
In the semifinal, Morocco defeated Nigeria 4–2 on penalties after a draw. Nigerian players Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi missed their penalty kicks.
