Senegal football supporters who were detained in Morocco following the Africa Cup of Nations final between the two nations in January have been freed after being given a royal pardon from the King of Morocco.The supporters arrived at the Blaise Diagne International Airport at around 1am local time on Sunday morning, according to the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF).Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said on X that those who returned to the country will “soon be reunited with their loved ones”, thanking King Mohammed VI for his “clemency and humanity”.The AFCON final earlier this year, which Senegal had won 1-0 in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, continues to be a hugely controversial event. The result of the match was overturned by an appeals board of the African Football Confederation (CAF), which organises the tournament, because Senegal were deemed to have forfeited the match when their players left the pitch for 16 minutes after a controversial penalty was awarded to Morocco. Senegal have since appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.Fighting in the stands between the two sets of fans saw 18 Senegal fans arrested, who were then given sentences of varying lengths in February, per AP. Those sentences sparked protests in Dakar, the Senegalese capital. Issuing statements about the result of the final being overturned in March, the FSF and government said they were working to free those detained in Morocco.And on Saturday, a press release from the Royal Office of Morocco confirmed the supporters had been released “on humanitarian grounds”.“Through this High Decision, His Majesty the King, may God glorify Him, attests to the depth of the strong bonds of friendship, fraternity and cooperation uniting the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Senegal,” the statement added, via the Agence Maghreb Arabe Presse. “This pardon further reflects the enduring cardinal values underpinning the Moroccan identity, foremost among them clemency, benevolence, generosity and the spirit of tolerance.”The fans who returned to Senegal were greeted by Faye and crowds at the airport. “Senegal and Morocco cherish an ancient brotherhood, which this gesture, once again, comes to honor,” Faye’s statement said.Senegal and Morocco are still waiting for the outcome of the CAS proceedings. In March, the Senegalese government said the ruling of CAF’s appeals board was “grossly illegal” and called for an “international inquiry”. Later that month, Senegal presented the trophy on the pitch at the Stade de France in Paris ahead of a friendly against Peru.