He responded almost immediately
A Senegalese Premier League star has responded after his nation was stripped of the Afcon title they won at the start of the year.
On Tuesday evening (17 March), Senegal was stripped of the Afcon trophy and Morocco was awarded the title by an appeal board of the governing body CAF.
It comes after the controversial final which saw Senegal walk off the pitch in protest of a soft penalty awarded to Morocco which was ultimately missed by Brahim Diaz after he attempted a Panenka.
Senegal went on to win the final in extra time with a Pape Gueye screamer.
A statement on CAF’s website read: “The CAF Appeal Board decided that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 (“the Match”), with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).
“The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) Appeal Board decided today that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 (“the Match”), with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).”
Now, Senegal and Crystal Palace star Ismaila Sarr has hit back on social media towards the decision with two Instagram stories.
The first came almost immediately after the news, to which he posted three laughing emojis on a black screen.
He then followed this up with a simple selfie holding the golden Afcon trophy.
He’s not the only player from the team to respond, with Rayo Vallecano midfielder Pathe Ciss also hitting out.
The 32-year-old took to social media and wrote: “You can add another three goals to the Iloron [Morocco],” followed by a laughing emoji, a peace sign emoji and a large number of Senegal flags.
He added: “Champions of Africa, 2025.”
The CAF board also ruled that an appeal against Ismaël Saibari of Morocco was only partially upheld.
It cited that he had infringed on ‘Articles 82 and 83’, being handed a two match ban, with one game suspended.
It said that a fine of $100,000 was also “set aside”.
Meanwhile it cited that “the appeal lodged in respect of the ball boys incident is partially upheld.”
It reduced the fine to $50,000.
The final saw all sorts of shenanigans including ball boys and Moroccan players trying to steal Edouard Mendy’s towel as well as disrupt the Senegal players.
It is unlikely to be the end of the saga, as journalist Ben Jacobs reports that Senegal are now “exploring legal options and could now appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
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