Olivier Safari Kabene, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Referees Committee, spoke about the towel scuffle that occurred in the final of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in an interview.
In the Africa Cup of Nations Final, Moroccan ball boys attempted to take away the towel placed by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy beside the goal, and Senegal’s substitute goalkeeper stepped forward to defend the towel, sparking a "towel scuffle" between the two sides. However, the referee did not intervene in the incident at the time.
President Kabene stated: "In fact, a towel is not standard equipment for players or goalkeepers. Therefore, when a goalkeeper uses a towel, I believe this should be done in a manner that fully abides by the spirit of sportsmanship and the principles of fair play. Once a towel starts to affect or interfere with the game, I believe it should be removed from the playing area."
