Senegal football fans return home relieved after Moroccan king's pardon

Scenes of joy welcomed Senegalese football fans who had been detained in Morocco as they returned home after receiving a royal pardon.

The fans had been arrested over hooliganism linked to a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final in January.

Back in Dakar, they expressed gratitude and relief.

"We were wary and uncertain in Morocco, but now we give thanks to God. This release is a surprise," said Boubacar Diallo.

"Personally, I thought I would serve a year in prison and be released on 18 January next year," he added.

During the AFCON final game in Rabat in January, Senegalese fans attempted to storm the field and Senegalese players walked off in protest over a late penalty awarded to host Morocco.

Eighteen Senegalese fans were sentenced in February to up to a year in prison on charges including damaging sporting facilities and committing violence during a sporting event.

Some have already completed their sentences and were released in April.

"Given the long-standing fraternal ties between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Senegal, and on the occasion of [Muslim holiday] Eid al-Adha, King Mohammed VI has graciously granted, for humanitarian reasons, his royal pardon to Senegalese supporters convicted of offenses committed during Africa Cup of Nations competitions," Morocco's Royal Cabinet said in a statement.

In Dakar, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye praised Moroccan authorities and King Mohammed VI for their gesture ahead of the Tabaski holiday.

"I would like to say to the supporters who have joined us today that we have gone through this ordeal with them, that we felt a part of ourselves had remained in Morocco," he said.

"Tonight we will sleep peacefully."