Offside in Rabat: How AFCON Laid Bare Africa’s Hierarchies

Offside in Rabat: How AFCON Laid Bare Africa’s Hierarchies

AFCON, the Africa Cup of Nations held last December, has recently turned into a battlefield. It was meant to showcase Pan-African unity, but for Morocco, the host, it was also part of a broader strategy to cement its status as a diplomatic and sporting power ahead of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Spain. On 18 January, a dramatic Moroccan penalty shot in the hosts’ final match against Senegal ignited a storm that continues to reverberate acr…