The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has controversially stripped Senegal of their Africa Cup title, awarding it instead to Morocco. This decision arose from a dramatic final match where Senegal's players threatened to leave the field, protesting several contentious referee decisions. Following this announcement, Senegal's captain, Idrissa Gueye, has expressed his willingness to return all of Senegal's Africa Cup medals in an effort to ease the rising tensions between Senegal and Morocco.
Gueye made this commitment after his team, Everton, secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Chelsea. He stated, "I personally commit to gathering the medals and perhaps returning them to Morocco if that can help calm tensions between the two countries." He went on to suggest that had it been solely his decision, he would have advised the Senegalese Football Federation against filing an appeal regarding the CAF's ruling.
On Tuesday, the CAF officially deemed the Senegalese men's national team "guilty of losing by default" during the final of the Africa Cup, held on January 18. This ruling was based on the team's premature exit from the pitch during the match, which was prompted by a controversial penalty awarded to Morocco. The CAF Appeals Board accepted the appeal lodged by the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) following the final, where Brahim Díaz missed the disputed penalty, leading to a tense extra time in which Pape Gueye scored a stunning goal that initially secured the trophy for Senegal.
In response to the CAF's decision, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) announced plans to challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Gueye voiced his frustration, stating, "It’s ridiculous. A football match is won on the field, and that is what we did in Morocco. We did what was necessary on the pitch; we won that match. We deserve to be the champions of Africa; we are the champions of Africa! Titles are earned on the field, not in the boardrooms."
As reported by 20minutos.es.
