The time of a match, the eternity of a relationship (by Elhadji Ibrahima THIAM) January 19, 2026
What, ultimately, do 90 minutes of football represent in the great book of centuries-old relations between Senegal and Morocco? Almost nothing. A simple parenthesis, immediately closed, allowing the beautiful story of brotherhood between two friendly nations to continue.
For three days, social networks were the scene, from both sides, of an outburst of passionate comments around a simple football match, even if it was an African Cup of Nations final. Football, this universal and captivating sport, has this singular power to awaken deeply buried emotions, to the point of sometimes saying words that go beyond thought.
But, deep down, it’s just a game, a moment of sporting pleasure. As intense as it is, football must never make us forget its primary vocation: to be a factor of cohesion, fraternity and rapprochement between peoples, provided that sportsmanship and fair play prevail.
History also offers powerful symbols. In 1998, the United States and Iran, despite being irreconcilable geopolitical adversaries, gave the world a lesson in humility by demonstrating that certain rivalries amount to vanity in the face of the greatness of sport. This image remains, even today, the perfect illustration of the victory of sport over antagonism.
Between Senegal and Morocco, there can be neither hatred nor invective. What unites these two peoples is infinitely stronger than what could, for an instant, oppose them.
The proof is tangible: just one week after the final, the High Joint Commission for Cooperation between the two countries will be held in Rabat, in the presence of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. In the following weeks, the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, is expected in the Cherifian Kingdom.
This continuity confirms the words of Bakary Sambe, who declared in an interview with the magazine that “Le Soleil” devoted, in June 2025, to Senegalese-Moroccan relations: “The lasting and continuous nature of this relationship is difficult to explain to those who do not experience it; this comes from a natural affection experienced by the people themselves well beyond the instruments of formal cooperation. This relationship has survived all the socio-political developments that the two countries have experienced. Each generation acts as if it had to perpetuate it, protect it in order to transmit its heritage to the next ones with a shared awareness of its sacredness.”
The exceptional character of relations between Morocco and Senegal is distinguished by the harmonious combination of historical, political, spiritual and human factors, which have forged a stable and resilient cooperation. The Establishment Convention of 1964 is an eloquent illustration of this: it guarantees nationals of the two countries rights equivalent to those of nationals in the host country, in a spirit of fairness and reciprocity.
It is this mutual trust which explains the absence of visas between the two States. This fraternity can also be seen in the urban and symbolic space: in Dakar, Avenue Hassan II and Rue Mohammed V; in Casablanca, in the Medina district, the famous “Senegalese market”.
Until recently, the largest mosque in Dakar was a gift from Morocco to Senegal. Relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Senegal are therefore among the strongest and most durable bilateral partnerships on the African continent.
Under the reign of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, this proximity was further strengthened, as evidenced by the eight official visits made to Senegal, a record, and the symbolic choice of Dakar for the celebration of the Green March speech in 2016.
Finally, the human dimension remains the most valuable basis of this relationship: cross-migration, mixed marriages, communities established on both sides, educational cooperation and student mobility. So many living links which remind us that beyond a football match, the essential thing remains the lasting friendship between two brother peoples.
