Players and staff from the Senegal national team have paraded the Africa Cup of Nations trophy around the Stade de France just 10 days after being stripped of the title.
Senegal fought to a 1-0 win in a dramatic Afcon final in January in a game that was marred by controversy as manager Pape Thiaw took his players off the pitch after the referee had awarded a last-minute penalty to hosts Morocco.
The players returned to the field after a 17-minute delay and Brahim Diaz eventually missed the spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time, before a stunning long-range effort from Pape Gueye ended up sealing the victory for the Lions of Teranga in extra-time.
However, the Confederation of African Football’s (Caf) Appeal Board stripped them of the title on 18 March, ruling that Senegal had in fact forfeited the game when they walked off the pitch. A 3-0 win was subsequently awarded to Morocco.
But ahead of a sold-out friendly against Peru at the Stade de France on Saturday, Senegal players presented the Afcon trophy at the Stade de France in front of their fans.
The squad paraded the trophy around the stadium before taking a group photo with it. Cheers were heard as captain Kalidou Koulibaly brought out the trophy and as goalkeeper Edouard Mendy held it aloft.
As displayed by the trophy parade, it is understood Senegal still considers themselves to be the champions of Africa, with the decision made to add a second star onto the team’s kits to mark Afcon wins in 2021 and 2025/26.
Meanwhile, president of the Senegal FA Abdoulaye Fall called the Caf decision “the most grossly unfair administrative robbery” in the history of the sport, and Senegal’s Football Federation has lodged a formal complaint against the Afcon decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), though a decision on the matter could take months.
