Senegal’s players displayed the Africa Cup of Nations trophy to thousands of fans on Saturday, despite the Confederation of African Football’s decision to strip the country of the title and award it to Morocco.
Before Saturday’s friendly match against Peru at the Stade de France, the Senegalese players, led by captain Kalidou Koulibaly, took to the pitch with the trophy as part of the pre-match celebrations. This marked the Lions of Teranga’s first appearance since their victory in Morocco last January.
The Senegalese Football Federation had announced that it would present the Africa Cup of Nations trophy to its fans before the match, which was held in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, home to a large Senegalese community.
Earlier this week in the French capital, the president of the Senegalese Football Federation, Abdoulaye Fall, said that Senegal had been the victim of “the most egregious and unjust administrative robbery” in the history of football, and vowed that the country would defend the “honor” of its players before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Senegal is appealing the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) surprise decision last week to strip them of the title they won in a chaotic final last January and award it to the host nation, Morocco.
CAF’s appeals committee ruled that Senegal had “forfeited the final,” overturning their 1-0 extra-time victory and awarding Morocco a 3-0 win by default.
The decision was based on the fact that Senegal’s players, led by their coach, left the field in protest after Morocco was awarded a penalty, causing a 15-minute stoppage in play.
Senegal’s appeal to reclaim the title was registered this week with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has not yet set a timetable for what is expected to be a lengthy process before a ruling is issued.
