Diouf: Moroccan caddie told me to have sportsmanship when he grabbed the towel

In the seventh round of the UEL league phase played last night, Nice defeated Go Ahead Eagles 3-1. Goalkeeper Diouf, who had represented Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations, was not included in the matchday squad, but he gave an interview after the game, detailing his experience during the Africa Cup final when he protected Édouard Mendy’s towel.

Diouf said: “Can you imagine? A ball boy said to me, ‘Show some sportsmanship’ (laughing). I replied, ‘What sportsmanship? You’re the ones taking the towels, yet you say I lack sportsmanship?’”

“I was really surprised—I didn’t understand it—but I tried my best to make sure Édouard Mendy always had a towel when he needed to wipe sweat, so he could stay in top condition and help us win the trophy.”

“In previous matches, we’d already seen them—the Moroccan ball boys—stealing the Nigerian goalkeeper’s towels. Why? We don’t know. It was just like what they did to us, yet they kept doing it gleefully, so we were on high alert.”

“During regular time, they had Achraf and Ziyech do it together, and they succeeded in grabbing the towel. Then, in extra time, when the rain really started pouring down, our third goalkeeper, Mory Diaw, went to deliver a towel to Mendy.”

“As soon as he returned to the bench, the Moroccan ball boys had already taken the towel. And when I went myself, they did the exact same thing. At first, a Moroccan player chased after me trying to grab the towel—I was shocked.”

“Then, when I went again to place the towel, a ball boy and someone who I don’t even know what role he had… I went there solely to keep Mendy in the best possible condition, because we needed an outstanding goalkeeper to win that final.”

“I honestly couldn’t believe it. In fact, I voluntarily walked onto the pitch, thinking the referee would stop the game or realize something was wrong—but nothing happened. Actually, I ended up falling inside the penalty area, while the ball was 20–25 meters away.”

“I realized I was causing Mendy more trouble than help, and I felt they were starting to lift me up, so I decided to stand up and move elsewhere. But it was absolutely insane—on one hand, I wasn’t protected at all; on the other, the match was still ongoing. It was completely surreal.”