The Senegal national football team will parade the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy before Saturday’s friendly against Peru in Paris as the dispute over the 2025 title heads to sport’s highest court.
The ceremony is planned for the Stade de France, despite a decision by CAF to strip Senegal of the crown and award a 3-0 win to Morocco.
Recall that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed on Tuesday that it had received Senegal’s appeal and would rule as quickly as possible.
“Faced with what amounts to the most blatant and unprecedented administrative robbery in the history of our sport, the Senegalese Football Federation refuses to accept this as inevitable,” the president of the Senegalese Football Federation, Abdoulaye Fall told reporters in France earlier today, March 26.
“Senegal will not bend the knee and will not compromise its values. Our fight now transcends the football pitch.”
Senegal believed they had won the tournament on 18 January after beating Morocco 1-0 in extra time in a final that ended in chaotic scenes. Senegalese players left the pitch late in the match after Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the score level.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation, complained to Caf and FIFA, saying the walk-off “greatly affected the normal course of the match and the players’ morale”.
CAF’s disciplinary committee initially rejected the protest but sanctioned both sides, including a five-match ban for Senegal coach Pape Thiaw. Morocco appealed, arguing the sanctions did not reflect the seriousness of the incidents.
On 17 March, Caf’s appeal board ruled Senegal had breached competition regulations. Article 82 states that any team leaving the pitch before the end of a match without the referee’s permission is eliminated.
Senegal’s government called for an investigation into suspected corruption at Caf. Caf president Patrice Motsepe rejected the allegation and defended the independence of the appeals board.
