'We won it on the pitch and no one can change this!' - Idrissa Gueye fumes at 'ridiculous' decision to strip Senegal of AFCON title

The African football landscape was rocked last week when the CAF appeal board took the unprecedented step of overturning Senegal’s 1-0 extra-time victory in the Africa Cup of Nations final. The controversy stems from a protest where Senegalese players left the pitch to contest a disputed stoppage-time penalty awarded to Morocco. CAF officials deemed this action a forfeiture, subsequently nullifying the result and imposing a 3-0 defeat on Senegal. This ruling effectively handed the continental crown to Morocco, a decision that has sparked outrage across Dakar and left the 36-year-old Gueye questioning the integrity of the tournament's governing body.

Gueye, who has earned 128 caps for his country, was defiant when addressing the loss of what would have been his second AFCON winners' medal. Speaking on the matter, he argued that footballing merit should always outweigh administrative rulings.

"I think this decision is just ridiculous. We won the game on the pitch not in offices and as a Senegalese player I’m just proud of what we did," the Everton midfielder stated. "We deserve this trophy. We fight on the pitch and everyone knows what happened and I think if you play 10 times this game we would win it 10 times."

Gueye continued: "Not because we are better than Morocco but because it was our destiny because we gave everything on the pitch and we deserve to be champions. We really don’t care about medals, about trophies, because the most important thing is on the pitch and not what you write on the paper. On the pitch we won it and no-one can change this."

Beyond the immediate loss of the trophy, Gueye expressed grave concern over how such contentious decisions affect the global reputation of the Africa Cup of Nations. He insisted: "Africa doesn’t need this type of decision because everyone has started to talk about AFCON and compare it against Europe and the Copa America. I think Africa doesn’t deserve this."

Despite the contentious ruling, Gueye emphasised that the brotherhood between the two nations remains intact, pointing to his amicable relationship with Everton team-mate and Morocco international Adam Aznou. "We just laugh about this because sometimes it’s funny," he explained. "We are all brothers and no-one can push me to hate Morocco’s people. Morocco and Senegal have a good relationship."

While the legal battle over the 2025 AFCON title continues in the corridors of power, with an official appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport set to be lodged, Senegal must now refocus on their confirmed participation in the 2026 World Cup. The Teranga Lions have been drawn into a challenging Group I alongside France, Norway, and the winner of the inter-confederation play-offs Path 2 - featuring Iraq, Bolivia, or Suriname. Pape Thiaw’s side will use the March international break to begin their preparations with two high-profile friendlies, facing Peru on March 28 at the Stade de France before returning home to host Gambia at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium on March 31.