Towel drama: Piece of cloth that has sparked off-field battles in football
By Luke Oluoch, January 24, 2026The just-concluded 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Final sparked one of the biggest controversies in modern African football.
The continental event, hosted by Morocco, ended in a rather anticlimactic fashion, as the hosts’ bid to quench their thirst for glory ended in bitter defeat after an extra-time loss to Senegal.
With on-pitch displays of tactical nuances and individual brilliance from the crème de la crème of African stars coming to the fore, it was the off-pitch drama around the goalkeepers’ towels that stole the show.
Keeping dry
In one of the most bizarre incidents that cast a shadow over African football, the towel became the centre of a heated and ugly contest pitting goalkeepers on one side against rival players and staff on the other. The incidents show how far individuals can go for football glory.
The drama was witnessed in Nigeria’s clash against the hosts, Morocco. During the game, Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was left frustrated as staff repeatedly removed his towel from the goal area, which appeared to be a deliberate disruption.
The stadium grass was slightly watered and kept damp before matches. Goalkeepers carry towels as part of tradition to keep their gloves dry to maintain grip—especially in wet, rainy, or humid conditions.
This ritual practice has, however, become linked in African football with juju—a West African term for supernatural powers believed to influence game results.
The situation escalated fully in the final between Senegal and Morocco.
Ball boys, keen to disrupt Eduardo Mendy, endeavoured to steal the valued item from the Senegalese goalkeeper.
The tactic, to some akin to sabotage, had worked against the Nigerian goalkeeper, so they seemed more determined—but Senegal had watched the proceedings against Nigeria and braced for the unsporting act.
Off-pitch antics
Senegal’s unsung hero amid all the towel melee proved to be Yéhvann Diouf, their reserve goalkeeper. The former teammate of Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu took up the responsibility of safeguarding Mendy’s towel, fighting off ball boys and officials.
The understudy wrestled with three ball boys who seemed hell-bent on grabbing the towel from his grasp. Pape Thiaw’s Lions of Teranga ultimately claimed the honours with one of the most remarkable wins, courtesy of Pape Gueye’s decisive goal.
The off-pitch antics involving towels or other “extra materials,” such as water bottles, are not confined to Africa alone. European and South American teams have also seen football games being reduced to.
Towels and water bottles
For instance, the item has also been used to scribble down notes on players’ penalty practise, noting the side to which they are likely to direct their shots from 12 yards out, a tactic that has more than once been used by teams to win crucial football matches.
Back to AFCON, as Morocco were left explaining and crying foul, embodying the football adage that “winners celebrate as losers explain.”
In a strange turn of events, Moroccans may look back and rue focusing on—and picking the wrong fight over—control of a towel. The battle that began on the pitch ended off it, as Nwabali sarcastically hit back at Moroccans, telling them to use his “stolen” towels to dry their tears.
“Use my towel you carried to wipe your tears,” Nwabali mocked the Moroccans after their loss.