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Senegal hope Morocco final will not be Mane’s AFCON farewell

Senegal hope Morocco final will not be Mane’s AFCON farewell

Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane announced after the semifinal that he would not appear at another AFCON for Senegal. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw says he hoped the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco would not be Sadio Mane’s last game at the tournament, insisting the former Liverpool forward could reconsider walking away from the team. “His decision is no longer up to him. There is a whole people behind him, too, and they would like to see him continue,” Thiaw told reporters in Rabat on the eve of the final against the host nation. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Mane, 33, said after Wednesday’s semifinal against Egypt, in which he scored the winner, that he would not play at another AFCON. His comments indicated that he may retire from international football altogether following the World Cup in North America in June and July, by which time he will be 34. The next Cup of Nations is due to take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, while the 2029 edition is being brought forward to 2028. “I think he made his decision in the heat of the moment and the country does not agree, and I, as coach of the national team, do not agree at all,” said Thiaw. “We would like to keep him for as long as possible.” Mane helped Senegal win the Cup of Nations for the first time in their history in 2022, scoring the winning penalty in the shootout in the final against Egypt. The two-time winner of the African player of the year prize also played in the side that lost the 2019 final to Algeria – Sunday’s match will be Senegal’s third final in four editions of AFCON. “Sadio is an exceptional player who would have deserved to win a Ballon d’Or. Above all, he is just an incredible man,” said defender Moussa Niakhate. Advertisement “He doesn’t have a big ego. He just works hard and loves his country – the fact this is his sixth AFCON shows his longevity and consistency.” Thiaw reiterates Senegal’s AFCON complaint against Morocco Meanwhile, the Senegal coach expressed anger at the welcome his team received on arriving in the Moroccan capital on Friday. The Lions of Teranga travelled to Rabat, having been based in the northern port city of Tangiers since the start of the competition. The Senegalese Football Federation released a statement early on Saturday complaining about “serious concerns” including a “lack of adequate security” for the team’s arrival “which put the players and staff at risk”. It also complained about the hotel offered to the delegation, about the number of tickets given to their supporters for the final, and said they were not happy at being offered a training pitch at the Moroccan team’s base. “What happened yesterday was not normal,” insisted Thiaw. “Given the number there, anything could have happened. My players could have been in danger. “That type of thing should not happen between two brother countries.” Morocco ready for ‘hardest’ step against Senegal The final brings together the top two teams in Africa according to the FIFA rankings, with Morocco hoping to make the most of home advantage to take the AFCON title for the first time in 50 years. There is, however, enormous pressure on the 2022 World Cup semifinalists to take the trophy. “We dreamt of being here and now we are, but the last step will be the hardest one,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui. “Senegal are a great side and this is their third final out of four, but it is great for African football to have a final between the two best teams.” He added: “How we handle the emotion of the occasion will be important. We can’t put too much pressure on ourselves. “The final is 50/50 but maybe it will be 51 percent in our favour with the crowd behind us.” Adblock test (Why?)

Thousands join ‘Hands off Greenland’ protests amid Trump’s takeover threats

Thousands join ‘Hands off Greenland’ protests amid Trump’s takeover threats

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Denmark to show support for Greenland and reject United States President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to take control of the self-governing Danish territory. Waving the flags of Denmark and Greenland, the protesters formed a sea of red and white outside Copenhagen city hall on Saturday, chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat” – the Arctic island’s name in Greenlandic. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Rallies were also organised throughout the day in the Danish cities of Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense, as well as in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. “I am very grateful for the huge support we as Greenlanders receive … We are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up,” said Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut, an organisation for Greenlanders in Denmark. “Greenland and the Greenlanders have involuntarily become the front in the fight for democracy and human rights,” she added. The demonstrations come as Trump said 10 percent tariffs would be imposed on several European allies opposing US control of Greenland from February 1, hitting ​Denmark, ‌Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The US president, who says the move is critical for his country’s interests, added those tariffs ‌would rise to ‌25 percent on June ⁠1 and would continue until an agreement is reached ‌for the US to purchase Greenland. Protesters rally in support of Greenland in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on January 17, 2026 [Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images] While Greenland and Denmark have rejected the idea of the island being “owned” by the US, efforts to get the US administration to change its stance have so far appeared to fail. Advertisement The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland left a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC, this week, saying that they “didn’t manage to change the American position”. “It’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters. According to the latest poll published in January of last year, 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose the territory joining the US, while only 6 percent were in favour. Reporting from Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital, Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands said Saturday’s rally is expected to be a large one. “This is … the capital city, but [home to] only about 19-20,000 people. Everyone we spoke to yesterday said that they were going to be coming out and marching today,” Challands said. “This essentially is Danes and Greenlanders coming together. Everyone here believes that at some point, there should be some form of independence [for Greenland],” he added. “But for the moment, Denmark and Greenland are saying that their best way out of this crisis is to remain united.” Some US lawmakers – including members of Trump’s own Republican Party – also have raised opposition to the president’s push to take control of Greenland, saying it threatens global stability and the US commitment to NATO. A bipartisan group of US Congress members travelled to Denmark on Friday, led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who said there was no security threat to Greenland to justify the Trump administration’s stance. “Greenland is a part of Denmark. Denmark is our NATO ally. That should be the end of this discussion, in my view,” Coons told reporters in Copenhagen. Trump has repeatedly accused Denmark of failing to do enough to secure Greenland’s territorial waters in the Arctic. European NATO members are deploying troops in Greenland for a military exercise designed to show that they will “defend [their] sovereignty”, French armed forces minister Alice Rufo said this week. Britain, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have announced they are sending small numbers of military personnel to prepare for future exercises in the Arctic. Adblock test (Why?)