Khaberni - The Senegal national team defied the African Football Confederation "CAF" decision by stripping it of the 2025 African Nations Cup title.
In January, the Senegalese team was crowned the 2025 African Nations Cup champion by defeating the host Moroccan team 1-0 in the final match.
The match witnessed chaotic events, as some members of the Senegalese team left the pitch after a penalty was awarded to Morocco in the final seconds of regulation time, before returning later to complete the match.
Two months after the match, in a surprise decision on Tuesday evening, CAF decided to deprive the Senegal team of its title, citing regulations related to leaving the pitch during the match, which was done by the players minutes before the end of the final's regulation time, two months ago in Morocco.
CAF considered the Senegal team as having withdrawn and therefore defeated by three goals to none, and consequently decided to award the Moroccan team its second title in the tournament.
Senegal celebrates its African Nations Cup title after the decision to withdraw it
Less than 24 hours after the decision was issued, the Senegal national team announced that on March 28, a celebration would be held in France for the African title.
The Senegalese team mentioned that the celebration will be held under the theme "No one can steal our celebrations."
The Senegal Football Federation quickly affirmed its intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport "CAS", denouncing what it described as an "unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision."
The Senegalese government also called for "an independent international investigation into corruption suspicions within the administrative bodies of the African Football Confederation."
The Senegal team is scheduled to meet Peru on March 28 at the "Stade de France" in Paris, in a friendly match as part of its preparations for participating in the 2026 World Cup.
