Shaka Hislop explains why goalkeeper towels sparked AFCON debate

Moroccan stewards, ball boys and even African Footballer of the Year Achraf Hakimi were caught on camera repeatedly attempting to remove towels belonging to Stanley Nwabali and Edouard Mendy during the AFCON semi-final and final, scenes that left many neutral fans bewildered.

Video footage from the final showed Moroccan players and stadium staff repeatedly grabbing towels meant to keep Mendy's gloves dry in light rain, before tossing them into the stands.

The incident quickly went viral on social media, sparking debate about gamesmanship and fair play.

A similar scenario had already unfolded in the semifinal against Nigeria, where Nwabali was subjected to the same treatment. On several occasions, the Super Eagles goalkeeper was forced to return to the bench to collect fresh towels after his had been taken away.

Hislop explained that a goalkeeper's towel is a vital piece of equipment rather than a trivial accessory, stressing that glove performance depends heavily on the right balance of moisture.

"Your towel is part of your equipment, because for your gloves to function properly, it has to have a certain amount of moisture," Hislop said on ESPN as quoted by Flashscore.

"So whether it's dry conditions and you put a lot of water on it and wring it until it's just right, or as in the AFCON final it's raining and you have to keep them dry so they function well."

To underline his point, Hislop compared the act to interfering with a player's boots, arguing that it amounted to an unfair attempt to disrupt a goalkeeper's performance.

"I liken it to a player's boots. You wouldn't mess with that depending on the weather, and for a goalkeeper, you're messing with how their gloves function," he added.

"It was just the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen."

Despite the distractions, both Nwabali and Mendy held firm, keeping clean sheets through regulation time and extra time in their respective AFCON clashes against Morocco.