19 sentenced to jail for AFCON final hooliganism

RABAT, Morocco -- A Moroccan court Thursday sentenced 19 soccer fans to up to a year in prison on charges of hooliganism stemming from a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal that saw supporters try to storm the field.

After a hearing that lasted more than five hours, the presiding judge ruled that the fans -- 18 Senegalese and a French national -- were guilty of more than half a dozen charges, including damaging sporting facilities and committing violence during a sporting event.

Eleven people were sentenced to one year in prison and handed a $550 fine. Four were sentenced to six months and given a $218 fine. The remaining four were sentenced to three months and a $130 fine, lawyer Naima El Guellaf told The Associated Press.

One defendant fainted upon hearing the sentences. Others refused to rise from the defendants' bench when ordered to enter the small door leading to the holding cells. Family members, visibly shaken, insisted their relatives were innocent.

Attorneys said they plan to appeal the decision that they view as severe.

The defendants were arrested last month when outraged supporters tried to storm the pitch to protest a late penalty awarded to host Morocco during the final, which Senegal eventually won 1-0. They were held in custody for more than a month awaiting judgment.

During Thursday's hearing, attended by Senegalese and French diplomats as well as relatives of several defendants, attorneys argued that the court lacked sufficient grounds to convict their clients.

The public prosecutor sought the maximum penalties against the fans, arguing that they had disrupted the orderly conduct of the match. He added that the damage was estimated at more than $476,719.

Morocco has long grappled with episodes of soccer-related hooliganism, and courts in the North African nation routinely handle cases tied to such incidents. However, this case was unusual as it involved only foreign nationals.

The sentences marked the latest development stemming from a final that prompted senior officials in both countries to urge peace and fraternity amid social media tensions and a surge in what Moroccan rights groups described as "hate speech."

Last month, CAF, the African soccer body, issued $1 million in fines and bans against Senegal and Morocco over the tumultuous game. Morocco announced it plans to appeal the decision, seeing the sanctions as disproportionate to the incidents.

The game was marred by Senegalese players walking off the pitch protesting a penalty awarded to Morocco in stoppage time. Outraged Senegalese supporters threw chairs onto the field and battled with stewards before police arrived.

The match and its outcome prompted senior officials in both countries to reinforce diplomatic and economic ties they described as "strong and historic," seeking to prevent the game from straining bilateral relations.