SENEGAL TO PARADE AFCON TROPHY AHEAD OF GAMBIA FRIENDLY

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By: Muftau Fatimo

Defiant Senegal is set to parade the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations trophy before home fans on Tuesday during their international friendly against neighbors Gambia at Stade Abdoulaye Wade.

The Senegalese Football Federation shared the schedule in an official programme for the friendly, posted on its X account.

According to the programme: “14:00 — Gates open at Stade Abdoulaye Wade; 16:00 — Pre-match ceremony and live show featuring invited artists; 17:45 — Official presentation of the AFCON trophy; 18:00 — End of ceremony; 19:00 — Kick-off: Senegal vs Gambia.”

The presentation underscores Senegal’s ongoing protest against the Confederation of African Football’s controversial decision to strip them of the title.

The Teranga Lions had on Saturday also paraded the trophy during their World Cup warm-up match against Peru at Stade de France in Paris.

The trophy saga stems from the chaotic AFCON 2025 final on January 18 in Rabat, Morocco.

Senegal walked off the pitch in protest over a penalty awarded to the hosts before winning 1-0 in extra time.

On March 17, CAF’s appeals board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory and the Africa Cup of Nations title.

Senegal criticized the decision as “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable” and has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have the ruling overturned.

Morocco, meanwhile, considers the matter settled and expects Senegal to return the trophy.

The West African nation has so far refused, and the case remains pending at CAS.