Senegal Parade AFCON Trophy At Stade De France, Despite Being Stripped Of Title
Senegal’s players parade with The African Cup of Nations trophy ahead of the international friendly football match between Senegal and Peru at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris on March 28, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP) Senegal on Saturday paraded the Africa Cup of Nations trophy they have been ordered to return ahead of a friendly against Peru at the Stade de France in Paris. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569656851-0"); }); The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on March 17 reversed Senegal’s 1-0 final victory over Morocco in Rabat on January 18 and awarded a 3-0 victory to the hosts. On Saturday, Senegal captain Kalidou Coulibaly and his teammates came onto the pitch with the AFCON trophy for a lap of honour after a pre-match concert by Senegalese superstar Youssou Ndour. READ MORE: Iran Players Honour School Strike Victims Before Nigeria Friendly Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour performs ahead of the international friendly football match between Senegal and Peru at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris on March 28, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP) Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569913499-0"); }); Coulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy went up to the stadium’s presidential box to place the trophy there in front of Abdoulaye Fall, the president of the Senegalese Football Federation, among others. The AFCON final descended into chaos when Senegal players walked off in protest after the hosts were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time. The players were coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Sadio Mane. After Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, Pape Gueye scored in extra time to gave Senegal a 1-0 victory. (FILES) Senegal supporters clash during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) final football match between Senegal and Morocco at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on January 18, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587799169-0"); }); CAF ruled that Senegal’s players had broken the rules by leaving the field without the referee’s permission. The Senegalese Football Federation lodged an appeal against the CAF decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Wednesday and has not given up on keeping the title. A crowd of 70,000 was expected for the match at 1600 GMT on Saturday. Thousands of Senegalese supporters, sprinkled with Peruvian fans, were already in the Stade de France by the time the players showed off their trophy. Earlier, nearly 200 Senegal supporters gathered in front of the nearby Basilica of Saint-Denis before making their way to the Stade de France to the sound of traditional drums and percussion. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587060870-0"); }); Bally Bagayoko, the new-elected mayor of Saint-Denis, briefly joined the procession. Senegal’s players parade with The African Cup of Nations trophy ahead of the international friendly football match between Senegal and Peru at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris on March 28, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP) “Welcome to Saint-Denis,” said the mayor. “I wanted to thank everyone who organised this wonderful initiative. “You are the pride of the residents of working-class neighbourhoods. We have often been discriminated against, often looked down upon. “You are showing that you are capable, at such an important moment, of coming together. Today, Africa is united. Everyone behind Senegal.” The friendly against Peru was due to be the Lions of Teranga’s first match since the Africa Cup of Nations final. They are preparing for the World Cup where they have been pitted in a group with France, Norway and either Bolivia or Iraq. Their squad on Saturday was almost identical to the one that competed in the Africa Cup of Nations. Senegal’s defender #03 Kalidou Koulibaly walks with The African Cup of Nations trophy ahead of the international friendly football match between Senegal and Peru at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris on March 28, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP) Spectators gather ahead of the international friendly football match between Senegal and Peru at The Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris on March 28, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP) Join Our Whatsapp Channel To join: Simply click on the link below & turn on notifications to get the latest updates Subscribe to Our Newsletter In This Article: AFCON CAF Morocco Senegal More Stories ‘Everyone Knows Senegal Are African Champions’ Despite CAF’s Decision, Says Coach Super Eagles Eye Reset In Four-Nation Tournament After World Cup Blow Senegal Appeal CAF’s AFCON Decision /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * / var disqus_shortname = 'channelstelevision'; // Required - Replace example with your forum shortname / * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */ (function() { var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true; dsq.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js'; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq); })(); Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.