Senegal is preparing to formally request a royal pardon from Morocco's King Mohammed VI for 15 Senegalese football supporters still imprisoned in Rabat after being convicted of violence during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final on 18 January. The fans were sentenced to between six months and one year in prison for offences including attacking Moroccan security forces, damaging stadium equipment, and invading the pitch. Three other convicted supporters were released on 18 April and are being assessed by psychologists dispatched from Dakar before being allowed to return home — a condition required by their lawyers and approved by the Senegalese Football Federation. Two separate royal pardon requests, one from the supporters' legal team and one from Senegal's National Human Rights Commission, are to be submitted to the Moroccan royal cabinet this week, with lawyers arguing the prosecutions lacked sufficient evidence and emphasising the close ties between the two countries.