- It “kills the passion” and a “shame on Africa” – Mane, others react
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has rejected the decision by CAF’s Appeal Board to strip its national football team, Teranga Lions, of the AFCON 2025 title and award it to the Atlas Lions of Morocco.
Rising from an emergency meeting, the FSF denounced the ruling in a statement released to the public on Wednesday, describing is as not only unfair and unprecedented, but that it also “discredits African football”.
This is as the SFF also maintained its readiness to defend the country’s rights at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The statement said: “To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the Federation will initiate an appeal as soon as possible before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. The FSF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice and will keep the public informed of developments in this matter.”
The FSF described the decision as “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable, bringing African football into disrepute”, just as its Secretary-General, Abdoulaye Seydou Sow said on state broadcaster RTS: “We will contact our lawyers and lodge an appeal. We will stop at nothing. The law is on our side”, adding that the decision is a “disgrace for Africa”.
Interestingly, while the CAF’s landmark but shocking verdict saw Senegal losing their second AFCON title, it unceremoniously handed Morocco their first AFCON title in 50 years.
Meanwhile, the fury across the whole of Senegal is palpable with two times African Footballer of the Year winner in 2019 and 2022, Sadio Mané, other players and the entire football family insisting that the decision “Kills the passion” and is a “Shame on Africa”
Mané , like the country’s football federation and several players have expressed their outrage and spoken out strongly against the CAF’s decision. Mané, a former Bayern Munich player, who now features for Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, wrote in a statement on Instagram: “What has happened here goes too far. This is not the football we fight for, nor the Africa we believe in.
“There is too much corruption in our sport, and that is killing the passion of millions of fans across the continent. The players give their all on the pitch, but decisions off the pitch determine the outcome of matches and titles.”
Saying he was “deeply disappointed” by the development, Mané maintained that his country, African football and the fans deserved “better, fairness, transparency and respect”.
Meanwhile, one of the first Senegalese players to react to the news was Rayo Vallecano midfielder, Pathe Ciss. Posting on X, alongside several photos of himself with the medal and the trophy, Ciss said in response to the new 3–0 result in Morocco’s favour: “You can give those crybabies another three goals.”
Morocco Stays Calm Over CAF Ruling
In Rabat, the Moroccan Football Federation (MFF) accepted the CAF verdict with a composed and measured approach.
In a cautious statement, the Federation said: “This measure is in no way intended to call into question the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but merely to ensure the application of the competition regulations.”
