{"id":19297,"date":"2026-03-03T07:24:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T10:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=19297"},"modified":"2026-04-19T08:17:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T11:17:14","slug":"senegals-lottery-operator-donates-18m-fcfa-to-support-detained-football-fans-in-morocco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/senegals-lottery-operator-donates-18m-fcfa-to-support-detained-football-fans-in-morocco","title":{"rendered":"Senegal\u2019s lottery operator donates 18m FCFA to support detained football fans in Morocco"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Each supporter will receive 1m FCFA (\u20ac1,524) to support themselves and their families while in detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Senegal.- Senegal\u2019s national lottery operator, <strong>LONASE<\/strong>, has donated <strong>18m FCFA<\/strong> (\u20ac27,440) to assist <strong>18 Senegalese football fans<\/strong> detained in <strong>Morocco<\/strong> during the <strong>Africa Cup of Nations<\/strong>. The fans were arrested in <strong>Rabat<\/strong> following unrest during the AFCON final, in which Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 in extra time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On <strong>February 19<\/strong>, a court in Rabat sentenced them on charges of violence, damage to stadium property and attempted pitch invasion. Sentences ranged from three months to one year in prison, with fines of <strong>up to 5,000 dirhams<\/strong> (\u20ac500). Nine supporters received one-year sentences, six received six months and three were sentenced to three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The funds will be disbursed via <strong>Fondation LONASE<\/strong>, with each supporter receiving 1m FCFA (\u20ac1,524) to support them and their families while in detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LONASE Director General Dr. Toussaint Manga stated in the organisation\u2019s communiqu\u00e9: \u201cIn this blessed month of Ramadan for Muslims and Lent for Christians, LONASE, true to its slogan \u2018Fortune to the subscribers, benefits to the Nation\u2019, has decided to provide financial support to our compatriots in difficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The detained fans, many of whom are ordinary supporters who travelled to back the national team, have reported difficult conditions. They began a hunger strike in early February to protest the lack of Wolof translation during proceedings and to demand fair treatment. Recent reports from family members indicate the men are physically stable and have not faced mistreatment, although the emotional strain remains significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Senegal, families have struggled with uncertainty, prompting protests in Dakar where people marched to demand the supporters\u2019 release. Support groups have highlighted ongoing needs for food, clothing and other essentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Senegalese Prime Minister <strong>Ousmane Sonko<\/strong> addressed the case in parliament, expressing regret over the sentences and stating that they do not reflect the traditionally friendly relations between Senegal and Morocco. He confirmed that diplomatic discussions are ongoing, including the possibility of a pardon from <strong>King Mohammed VI<\/strong> or a transfer to allow the men to serve their sentences in Senegal. The <strong>Senegalese Football Federation<\/strong> described the verdicts as \u201cincomprehensibly harsh\u201d and said it would continue monitoring the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LONASE\u2019s contribution demonstrates how lottery revenues can be applied practically, complementing the organisation\u2019s expanding social spending on community projects and emergency aid in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"see-also-container\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label\">See also:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-article\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"related-article__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/10\/Tax-Office-900x600-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-article__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label-strong\">See also:<\/span> <a href='https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/lagos-implements-5-withholding-tax-on-gaming-winnings'>Lagos implements 5% withholding tax on gaming winnings<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each supporter will receive 1m FCFA (\u20ac1,524) to support themselves and their families while in detention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2395,"featured_media":17634,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Senegal's national lottery operator, LONASE, has allocated 18m FCFA to support Senegalese football fans detained in Morocco following the Africa Cup of Nations final. This initiative, disbursed via Fondation LONASE, underscores the operator's commitment to social responsibility and demonstrates the practical application of lottery revenues beyond traditional public services, aligning with its \"benefits to the Nation\" mandate. The situation also highlights ongoing diplomatic efforts between Senegal and Morocco regarding the detainees.","focusai_entities":"LONASE, Fondation LONASE, Dr. Toussaint Manga, Ousmane Sonko, King Mohammed VI, Senegalese Football Federation","focusai_location":"Senegal, Morocco, Rabat, Dakar","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (0.9), compliance_legal (0.7), investor_analyst (0.7), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"LONASE Governance Frameworks?","query":"What are the specific governance frameworks and public accountability mechanisms governing LONASE's discretionary social spending, particularly for non-mandated aid?"},{"label":"Revenue Allocation Precedent?","query":"What precedent does this allocation of lottery revenue set for other state-owned gaming operators regarding the use of funds for non-mandated social or emergency aid initiatives?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60023,60012],"tags":[74],"class_list":["post-19297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legal-news","category-west-africa","tag-lottery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19297"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19328,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19297\/revisions\/19328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}