Former Senegal striker Mamadou Niang has slammed the unsportsmanlike behavior of the ball boys and Moroccan stewards for seizing Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and Teranga Lions goalkeeper Édouard Mendy’s towels at the just-concluded 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Recall that there were widespread incidents where Moroccan ball boys and stadium stewards repeatedly took the towels of opposing goalkeepers. Nwabali and Mendy had their towels repeatedly removed by ball boys and stadium officials, leaving them visibly frustrated.
The actions appeared to be a deliberate tactic intended to disrupt the goalkeepers by preventing them from drying their gloves, especially in rainy conditions, which affects their grip on the ball.
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Reacting to the development, Niang, in a chat with Canal+, criticized the organizers for failing to take decisive actions on them.
“They stole Édouard’s towel, I think five or six times. Édouard had to ask for towels because it started raining in extra time; that affected his vision, and his gloves were very wet.
“The Morocco players shouldn’t prevent another Senegalese player from giving the towel to his goalkeeper.
“There are a lot of things that happened that are not normal, and it’s the organisers who are responsible for the stewards.”
