On Saturday, Senegalese players showcased the Africa Cup of Nations trophy to a large crowd of supporters, despite the Confederation of African Football’s decision to revoke the title from Senegal and award it to Morocco.
Prior to a friendly match against Peru at Stade de France, the Senegalese team, led by captain Kalidou Koulibaly, entered the field with the trophy as part of the pre-match festivities.
The Senegalese Football Association had declared its intention to present the Africa Cup trophy to its supporters before the match in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, which has a notable Senegalese community.
Earlier this week in Paris, Senegalese FA president Abdoulaye Fall stated that Senegal had been subjected to “the most grossly unfair administrative robbery” in soccer history and vowed that the nation would defend its players’ “honour” at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Senegal is contesting the unexpected ruling from CAF last week that stripped the team of the title obtained in a tumultuous final in January and awarded it to the host nation, Morocco.
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Senegal’s legal representatives stated that the country still regards itself as the champion of Africa. The CAF’s appeals board determined that Senegal is “declared to have forfeited the final,” converting their 1-0 victory in extra time into a 3-0 default win for Morocco. This decision was based on the fact that Senegal’s players, along with their coach, had exited the field in protest when Morocco was awarded a penalty, resulting in a 15-minute delay.
Senegal’s appeal for reinstatement as champion was submitted this week to CAS, which has not established a timeline for what is expected to be a lengthy process toward a decision. The appeal was promised by the Senegalese government, which also called for an international inquiry “into suspected corruption” within CAF.
An appeal to CAS generally requires months to arrange a hearing, followed by additional weeks or months to reach a verdict. However, Senegal’s attorneys will request that CAS initiate an expedited process and hope that the Moroccan federation and CAF will agree to resolve the matter within two months.
