Senegal Coach Insists They Are 'Real African Champions' After CAF Strips AFCON Title to Morocco

Senegal's coach, Pape Thiaw, remains resolute in the face of controversy, insisting his team is the rightful African champions despite being stripped of their title.

The controversy stems from the Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat on January 18. Senegal secured a 1-0 victory over hosts Morocco with an extra-time goal from Pape Gueye.

However, the match was overshadowed by a dramatic incident at the end of normal time. With the score at 0-0, Senegal's players walked off the field to protest a penalty awarded to Morocco.

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The game was delayed for nearly 20 minutes amid the protests and attempts by some Senegalese fans to invade the pitch. When play resumed, Brahim Diaz's penalty was saved, and Senegal went on to clinch the victory in extra time.

Last week, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) made a stunning announcement. It upheld an appeal from the Moroccan Football Federation, ruling that Senegal had violated tournament regulations by walking off the pitch.

CAF declared that Senegal had forfeited the match, overturning the 1-0 win into a 3-0 defeat and crowning Morocco as champions.

"I am focused on my job. It is important not to be distracted. Everyone knows we are the champions of Africa," Pape Thiaw stated at a press conference in Paris. His team is preparing for a friendly against Peru at the Stade de France on Saturday.

"We are going to keep working hard to try to win more trophies," he added. "It is clear in our minds that trophies are won on the pitch."

In response, Senegal lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland on Wednesday.

"We deserved to be champions of Africa on the pitch, and we will try to do the same thing off it," said Senegal captain Idrissa Gana Gueye on Friday.

The 36-year-old Everton midfielder, who was also part of Senegal's first-ever AFCON triumph in 2022, had previously said he would be willing to "hand back the medals" to ease tensions. However, his tone has since hardened.

"Nothing can replace the emotions that we have experienced," Gueye asserted, highlighting his team's success in reaching three consecutive finals and winning two of them. "We didn't steal those results. A whole country put in the work, a nation which gives everything on the field and off it."

The friendly against Peru marks Senegal's first match since the contentious final and serves as preparation for the upcoming World Cup in the United States. They are set to face France, Norway, and the winner of a play-off between Bolivia and Iraq in the group stage.