The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has taken a firm stance against goalkeepers placing towels near or inside the goal area during matches.
This practice, which has become increasingly common in African competitions, will no longer be tolerated, according to the CAF Referees Committee.
The decision is based on the laws of the game, which require the field of play to be free of foreign objects not classified as player equipment.
CAF Referees Committee President Olivier Safari Kebene clarified the position, stating that towels are not considered player equipment.
“Towels are not part of the players’ equipment, and they must be kept away from the goal area,” Kebene said.
“They should be placed behind the advertising boards or with the team staff.”
The move aims to prevent any potential influence on play, distraction of opponents, or obstruction of the referee’s view.
Goalkeepers often use towels to dry themselves, especially in hot or humid conditions, but CAF is urging them to find alternative solutions.
Several high-profile goalkeepers, including Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali and Senegal’s Edouard Mendy, are expected to be affected by the decision.
Kebene emphasized that match officials have been instructed to enforce the rule strictly.
“We understand the practical need, but these items must be kept away from the goal area,” Kebene said.
CAF is keen on maintaining a fair and safe playing environment, and this move is part of their efforts to uphold the laws of the game.
The decision is set to take effect immediately, and goalkeepers are advised to adjust their habits accordingly to avoid any disciplinary action.
Persecondnews recalls that during the AFCON final Senegal’s backup goalkeeper recounts how he battled ball boys and opposing players to keep Édouard Mendy’s gloves dry in the final against Morocco
Yehvann Diouf, Senegal’s backup goalkeeper, recalled one of the most bizarre and controversial moments of the Africa Cup of Nations final – a fight over a simple towel with ball boys and Moroccan players.
“Imagine this—a ball boy told me ‘play fair.’ And I replied, ‘Play fair? You’re the ones taking the towels, and I’m the one being unfair just for trying to hand them out?’ I was shocked; I didn’t understand it,” Diouf admitted.
During the match, rain began to fall, and Diouf made sure that Édouard Mendy, the starting goalkeeper, could keep his gloves dry to perform at his best.
Footage of the backup protecting the towel and preventing the ball boys—and even Moroccan player Achraf Hakimi—from taking it went viral.
“We had already seen in the previous match how they enjoyed taking the towels from the Nigerian goalkeeper. We don’t know why. They did it during regular time and eventually managed to take it.
Then, in extra time, when it really started raining, Mory Diaw went to bring towels to Édouard, and by the time I returned, they had already taken them,” Diouf recounted after OGC Nice’s victory over Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.
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