Regardless of the subsequent withdrawal, Senegal’s footballers celebrated their supposed win of the Africa Cup in Paris. During a lap of honor through the Stade de France and a concert by a Senegalese artist, the national team proudly presented the trophy before the upcoming international match against Peru (5 p.m.). The association is taking advantage of the appearance, even though the continental association CAF had stripped Senegal of its title and subsequently declared Morocco the winner. The final judgment rests with the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Captain Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy presented the trophy to association president Abdoulaye Fall in the stands after the lap of honor. Thousands of Senegalese fans had already streamed into the stadium from 2 p.m. It is the first international match since the controversial Africa Cup of Nations final in January.
The plans were announced on Thursday. At a press conference in Paris, association president Fall spoke of an “administrative robbery, the grossest in the history of our sport.” At the same time, he announced: “Senegal refuses to take this for granted.” A lawyer for the Senegalese association also stated that there was no decision that required the return of medals or the trophy, and the association announced a corruption complaint against several people.
Senegal originally won the final after the team left the pitch in protest against a referee’s decision. The CAF rated the game the previous week as a defeat and accepted Morocco’s appeal. The Senegalese association then officially lodged an objection with the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday.
The CAS would like to make a decision as quickly as possible but carefully. “We understand that teams and fans are eagerly awaiting the final decision and we will ensure that the arbitration process is carried out as expeditiously as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair trial,” said CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb.
