Defiant Senegal to Parade Disputed AFCON Trophy Before Gambia Clash
Senegal has announced plans to parade the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy before their home fans today, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, marking a fresh act of defiance against the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The trophy presentation is scheduled to take place at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium during an international friendly against neighboring Gambia. According to the official programme released by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), the trophy will be presented at 17:45, just over an hour before the 19:00 kick-off.
The “Rabat Chaos” and CAF Ruling
The move follows CAF’s controversial decision on March 17 to strip Senegal of their title and award it to Morocco. The saga stems from the chaotic AFCON final in Rabat on January 18, where the Teranga Lions walked off the pitch in protest of a penalty awarded to the hosts.
Though Senegal returned to finish the game and won 1-0 in extra time, CAF’s appeals board later ruled that the walk-off constituted a forfeiture, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory and the championship.
Standoff Continues
Senegal has formally rejected the ruling as “unfair and unacceptable,” taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In the interim, the West African nation has refused to return the physical trophy, even parading it during a recent friendly against Peru at the Stade de France in Paris.
“The case remains pending at CAS, but the FSF remains firm in its stance that the victory on the pitch must be respected,” a source close to the federation noted.
While Morocco has declared the matter closed and demanded the trophy’s return, Senegal’s decision to celebrate in front of their home crowd signals that the “battle of the trophy” is far from over.
