The Senegalese Football Federation has announced its intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the country was stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title.
The Confederation of African Football announced the decision on Tuesday evening to award victory to Morocco two months after the acrimonious conclusion to the tournament.
An appeal board determined the Senegal team had forfeited the match when they left the field in protest at a disputed penalty deep in stoppage time.
Responding via a statement on X, the Senegal federation branded the decision “iniquitous, unprecedented and unacceptable”, saying it “threw discredit on African football.”
“For the defence of the rights and interests of Senegalese football, the federation will engage, with the shortest delay, an appeal procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne,” the statement added.
Abdoulaye Seydou Sow, secretary general of the Senegalese Football Federation, told the public broadcaster Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise late Tuesday: “We will not back down. The law is on our side.”
He called the ruling a “shame for Africa.”
Earlier on Wednesday, L’Équipe quoted a Senegal federation member as saying, “We are outraged. There is a CAF executive committee meeting on March 29, it will be World War 3.”
The walk-off, instigated by Senegal coach Pape Thiaw, led to a lengthy delay, and, when the game was belatedly restarted, Brahim Díaz saw his spot-kick saved by Édouard Mendy.
Pape Gueye went on to score the winning goal in extra time but there was unrest in the crowd and recriminations in the aftermath.
Having studied the circumstances, the appeal board took the unprecedented step of reversing the result, awarding a 3-0 win to Morocco, who are now celebrating their second AFCON title.
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Senegal players reacted angrilly, and sarcastically, on social media.
Sadio Mané posted in his Instagram stories that, “The world knows the true champions.”
Senegal defender Moussa Niakhaté on Instagram posted an image of himself holding the trophy with a message that said: “Come and get it! They’re crazy!”
In a similar post, left back El Hadj Malick Diouf added: “It’s not what I expected … this thing isn’t going anywhere.”
Pathé Ciss, the defensive midfielder, posted a series of laughing face emojis as he posed with the Afcon trophy and his winner’s medal.
Moussa Niakhaté, the centre-back, shared a photo from the aftermath of the final with the caption: “This is not AI, this is real.”
Morocco welcomed the verdict in an initial response, which read: “The federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations.
“The federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions.
“It also wishes to commend all the nations that took part in this edition of the AFCON, which has been a major moment for African football.”
Communiqué de la FSF relatif à la notification de la décision rendue le 17 mars 2026 par le Jury d’Appel de la Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF). 👇 pic.twitter.com/b0xxQsMQWU
— Equipe du Sénégal (@GaindeYi) March 18, 2026
Information from Associated Press and PA was used in this report.
