Senegal star issues defiant message after being stripped of AFCON title as CAF hands Morocco the win

The African football landscape has been rocked after Senegal were stripped of their title. Two months after the final whistle, the CAF Appeal Board overturned the result, handing Morocco a 3-0 forfeit victory. The controversy stems from deep into stoppage time when a VAR review awarded the hosts a penalty. This sparked a furious reaction from manager Pape Thiaw, who instructed his players to walk off the pitch. Although they returned to see out the game later, officials ruled this a violation of tournament regulations, stripping the Lions of Teranga of their hard-fought crown.

The 30-year-old defender, who was a cornerstone of the Senegalese defence, was asked about the situation ahead of Lyon's Europa League clash with Celta. Niakhate, who after the ruling was announced posted a photo of himself with his winners' medal and the trophy, made it clear that a courtroom ruling cannot erase his team's memories. He stated: “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”

The chaotic final in Rabat saw extraordinary scenes before the eventual 1-0 victory on the pitch for Senegal. While most of the squad followed their manager down the tunnel, Sadio Mane remained on the turf and eventually persuaded his teammates to return. Brahim Diaz then stepped up to take the controversial penalty but attempted a Panenka, which was easily saved by Edouard Mendy. The match proceeded to extra time, where Papa Gueye scored the decisive goal. However, because of the prolonged walk-off, the appeal committee deemed the match a 3-0 forfeit.

The ruling is a bitter pill to swallow for a squad that believed they had secured back-to-back continental dominance. Niakhate, who started six of the seven matches during the competition, is currently prioritising his club's European ambitions. However, the shadow of the controversial decision will loom large over the upcoming international break. Senegal have already declared their intention to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).