Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye has criticised the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to strip his team of the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, describing the ruling as “just ridiculous.”
The Senegal national football team had initially secured the trophy with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Morocco on January 18.
However, the Confederation of African Football Appeals Committee later overturned the result following an appeal by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football, citing Senegal’s conduct during the final.
The controversy stems from Senegal’s 17-minute walk-off after a stoppage-time penalty was awarded to Morocco. CAF ruled under Article 82 of the AFCON regulations that a team leaving the field without the referee’s permission is deemed to have forfeited the match.
As a result, Morocco were awarded a 3-0 victory, ending a 50-year wait for their first AFCON title.
Speaking to Canal+ after Everton’s 3-0 Premier League win over Chelsea, Gueye defended Senegal’s performance and questioned the decision.
“I personally commit to collecting the medals and maybe giving them back to Morocco if that can ease tensions between the two countries,” he said.
“It’s just ridiculous… a football match is won on the pitch, that’s what we did in Morocco.”
Gueye also dismissed the possibility of appealing the decision.
“We deserve to be African champions. We are the African champions as far as we’re concerned. Titles are won on the pitch, not in offices,” he added.
“If it were up to me, I would have told the federation not to appeal.”
Despite his stance, Senegal has confirmed plans to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to challenge the ruling.
