AFCON 2025: ‘I’m not proud’ – Hakimi opens up on Morocco stealing towels

Morocco’s nationalist squad captain, Achraf Hakimi, has expressed atrocious astir the arguable towel incidents that happened towards the extremity of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Two notable players progressive successful the towel incidents were Stanley Nwabali of the Super Eagles and Édouard Mendy, the goalkeeper of Senegal.

Moroccan squad staff, shot boys, and adjacent players similar Hakimi were seen connected camera galore times trying to instrumentality towels from the opposing goalkeepers during some the semifinal and the final.

The scenes near radical confused due to the fact that the actions seemed meant to marque it harder for the goalkeepers to clasp connected successful the bedewed conditions.

During the final, video footage showed Moroccan players and stadium unit taking towels meant to support Mendy’s gloves adust arsenic determination was immoderate airy rain.

A akin concern happened successful the Atlas Lions’ semifinal lucifer against the Super Eagles, wherever Nwabali was treated the aforesaid way.

After Paris Saint-Germain bushed Liverpool 2-0 successful the Champions League quarter-finals archetypal leg, Hakimi spoke connected the Movistar transmission and said, “These are pugnacious times, and the crippled was precise tense connected the field.

“I don’t consciousness arrogant astir the representation we gave disconnected with the towels. Even though that happened, the squad did good successful the competition.

“We showed respect for their hostile successful the tournament.”

Morocco bushed Nigeria 4-2 successful the Afcon semifinal aft a penalty...