Protesters marched through Dakar, Senegal, on Saturday in support of 18 Senegalese supporters imprisoned in Morocco for disrupting the Africa Cup of Nations final in January.
At the scene of the protest, protesters chanted, “Free the hostages.”
The jailed fans were tried for hooliganism on February 19 and given sentences ranging from three months to one year in prison by a Rabat court.
Late in the final, Morocco was awarded a penalty, and a group of Senegalese fans physically fought security to get access to the pitch.
Nine of those implicated were condemned to one year in jail and fined 460 euros ($544).
Senegal’s prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, warned his parliament that the judgment went too far, claiming that Morocco’s handling of the matter “does not honor” bilateral relations.
Sonko also said Senegal was doing “everything it had to do” to free its 18 nationals.
Senegal won the AFCON title 1-0 in extra time as Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed a contentious penalty.
