A trophy acclaimed by 70,000 spectators. This Saturday, March 28, ahead of the friendly match between Senegal and Peru at the Stade de France and after a concert by Youssou N’Dour, the Lions of Teranga presented the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2025 trophy in grand style in front of a supportive crowd.
This presentation took place even though, on March 17, the Appeals Board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) declared Morocco the winner of the competition through a boardroom decision.
As a symbol of Senegal’s objection to CAF’s decision, the men of Pape Thiaw wore a jersey adorned with a second star above their badge for their two CAN titles. The Senegalese Football Federation appealed on Wednesday, March 25, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against CAF’s Appeals Board decision, asking for “CAF’s decision to be annulled and to be declared the winner of the CAN”.
No institutional decision can erase the memory of the Senegalese victory
This decision was taken in accordance with Articles 82 and 84 of the CAN regulations. If, for any reason, a team withdraws from the competition, does not show up for a match, refuses to play, or leaves the field before the end of the scheduled time, without the referee’s permission, they will be considered losers and permanently eliminated from the current competition. The same applies to teams previously disqualified by CAF’s decision, as stated in Article 82.
Some Senegalese players, encouraged by their coach Pape Thiaw, had actually left the field in protest after the referee awarded a penalty to the Moroccans following El Hadji Malick Diouf’s foul on Brahim Diaz at the end of stoppage time in the second half.
The Teranga Lions have always contested CAF’s Appeals Board decision. In the pre-match press conference, the coach and captain of Senegal, Idrissa Gueye, reaffirmed that they were indeed African champions and that no decision by the authorities could erase that memory.
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