The cup will not leave the country – Senegal refuses to hand back Africa Cup of Nations trophy after CAF ruling

The Senegalese Football Federation has vowed not to hand back their AFCON trophy after they were extraordinarily stripped of the title.

On Tuesday night March 18th, the football world was stunned as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) made the unprecedented move to reverse the result of the tournament, awarding Morocco a retrospective 3-0 win 58 days after they lost.

Recall that Senegal won the match with Pape Gueye netting the winner in extra-time, but the victory came in controversial circumstances after Senegal had walked off the pitch in protest during the original 90 minutes.

They were aggrieved by two decisions, the first of which saw Ismaila Sarr’s goal chalked off, before Morocco were awarded a penalty at the death after VAR intervention.

Senegal manager Pape Thiaw appeared to urge his side to leave the field, before they went down the tunnel and re-emerged around 15 minutes later, after which Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty to force extra time.

Abdoulaye Sow, Secretary General of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), has said the trophy is going nowhere, telling Le Soleil: ‘The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is corrupt, and the reactions worldwide following this decision confirm total outrage.

‘The FSF president is in discussions with all those involved. The fight is far from over.

‘I want to reassure all Senegalese people. Senegal has the right, and victory is on its side. The cup will not leave the country.’