The AFCON 2025 final between Senegal and Morocco was marred by controversy and an unprecedented walkout by the Senegalese team, drawing strong opinions from football legends Rio Ferdinand and Thierry Henry. The incident unfolded after a series of contentious refereeing decisions by Congolese official Jean-Jacques Ngambo, leading to chaos on the pitch.

During the match, Ngambo controversially cancelled out a clear goal for Senegal, citing a foul in the build-up and preventing VAR intervention, which the Teranga Lions felt denied them a legitimate advantage. The game further descended into disarray in the 90th minute when a penalty was awarded to Morocco. West Ham left-back Malick Diouf was judged to have held Brahim Diaz during a Moroccan corner kick. Although the referee initially ignored play, he consulted VAR after pressure from the Moroccan team and pointed to the spot. Feeling the decision was unjust, the Senegal players, heralded by their coach Pape Thiaw, opted to walk off the pitch. However, captain Sadio Mane remained on the field.

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand weighed in on the incident, acknowledging the faults in officiating but strongly lauding Sadio Mane for his leadership. Ferdinand emphasized the immense risk to African football's image in such a high-stakes final. He praised Mane for calling his teammates back onto the pitch, stating, "Sadio Mane saved African Football, not just Senegalese football. He brought his team out of the tunnel and said ‘listen guys, win or lose, you have to come out and play. The game, African football demands it.’" Ferdinand highlighted Mane's composure in the heat of the moment as a true act of leadership. Beyond the officiating, Ferdinand also criticized the "mind games" employed by Morocco, specifically mentioning attempts by ball boys to prevent goalkeepers from drying their hands, deeming it "insane" and calling for explanations from the Moroccan FA.

France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry also commented on the final, echoing Ferdinand's disapproval of Senegal's walkout. While praising Morocco's excellent infrastructure for hosting the tournament, Henry stated that the team leaving the field was "wrong" and not the image football should portray, regardless of the frustration over the disallowed goal and the penalty. He lauded Mane for his intervention in bringing the players back, noting that the incident shouldn't define the overall quality of the tournament. However, Henry was highly critical of the standard of refereeing at AFCON, asserting that "the referees are not at the level of the show." He attributed these officiating mistakes not to the referees themselves, but to the lack of adequate training and education provided by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Henry firmly rejected Jamie Carragher's suggestion of integrating European referees into African tournaments, arguing that "It is an African tournament, and African referees have to be in charge." Instead, he urged CAF to invest in training African referees to a higher standard to prevent recurring errors that tarnish the tournament's image. Following the tumultuous events at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah, CAF has initiated investigations into the chaos.