Senegal Remains African Champions In Spirit Despite CAF Ruling And Morocco Title Decision

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Senegal celebrated as champions at the Stade de France, lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy before beating Peru 2-0 in a friendly, despite the Confederation of African Football later handing the 2024 title to hosts Morocco following a controversial disciplinary ruling.

That public show in Paris underlined how the squad continue to recognise their success from January’s final, even while a legal challenge is ongoing. Senegal have already taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to overturn the administrative loss.

The dispute stems from the closing stages of the Africa Cup of Nations final in January, when Morocco received a late penalty. Senegal’s players left the pitch before the spot-kick was taken, protesting the decision, and the incident later became the focus of CAF’s investigation.

After a delay of several minutes, Senegal returned to the field and play resumed. Brahim Diaz missed the penalty for Morocco, and extra time followed. Pape Gueye then struck a decisive goal, sealing a 1-0 win on the night and sparking on-field celebrations.

However, two months later a CAF appeals committee changed the outcome. The panel ruled that Senegal’s walk-off amounted to a forfeit, retrospectively awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory and, with it, the Africa Cup of Nations crown, despite the match having been completed on the pitch.

Senegal’s football authorities responded by filing an appeal with CAS, arguing the decision is unfair. While that legal process continues, the national team have maintained that the result achieved in Morocco still stands in their minds, and that their efforts during the tournament deserve recognition.

Presenting the trophy was a source of pride for us, said Senegal winger Krepin Diatta, as quoted by BFM RMC Sport. [The fans] came to celebrate with us, they came to support their team. They came and showed us once again the pride of being Senegalese. For us, it was also a pleasure. It galvanised us to see this match through to the end and win it. As you've seen, the group is doing very, very well, despite the decision that was made.

But we will always feel like African champions; no one can take that away from us. The whole world saw that Senegal had a very, very good tournament; our objective was to win this continental trophy. Now, today, we are proud to see our fans here celebrating with us, especially after this victory.

Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy echoed that stance, questioning why Senegal should make concessions after meeting the competition rules on the field. Mendy stressed that the decisive work was done in Morocco during the final itself, rather than during later disciplinary hearings.

I don't see why it should be up to Senegal to take a step to fix anything. We went to Morocco and won that trophy one January evening. Then, another battle was fought on a different field, one that wasnt ours. So, I don'tsee why Senegal, when its only focused on Senegal, should take a step to fix things.

Senegal and Morocco Africa Cup of Nations context and Peru friendly

On the pitch in Paris, Idrissa Gana Gueye captained Senegal against Peru and oversaw a confident performance in this international window, as the squad balanced competitive focus with ongoing frustration over the Africa Cup of Nations title decision.

Nicolas Jackson and Ismaila Sarr scored the goals in a one-sided match. Senegal generated chances worth 1.98 expected goals, while Peru managed 0.43. Jackson attempted four shots and hit the target three times, underlining strong attacking form ahead of upcoming competitive fixtures.

Senegal’s schedule now moves on quickly, with a game against Gambia on Tuesday offering another opportunity to build momentum. Whatever CAS ultimately decides about the Africa Cup of Nations, the squad are treating these matches as a way to reinforce unity and maintain performance levels.