Despite sanction, Senegal parade Africa Cup trophy in friendly v Peru | OneFootball

Senegal displayed the Africa Cup of Nations trophy this Saturday before a friendly against Peru in Paris, one week after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stripped the team of the title from the most recent edition of the African tournament in favor of Morocco.

An AFP journalist saw captain Kalidou Koulibaly, holding the trophy in his arms, walk onto the pitch at the Stade de France, followed by all his teammates, during a musical performance by Senegalese artist Youssou Ndour.

The Senegal national team took a lap of honor around the field, during which the trophy was passed from hand to hand.

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Then, Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy went up to the stadium’s presidential box and placed the trophy in front of Abdoulaye Fall, president of the Senegalese Football Federation.

From 2 p.m. local time (10 a.m. Brasília time), thousands of Senegalese fans, along with a small contingent of Peruvian supporters, began arriving at the Stade de France, north of Paris, amid a vibrant atmosphere.

This Saturday’s match marked the first appearance of the ‘Lions of Teranga’ since the Africa Cup of Nations final, held on January 18 in Rabat, in which they defeated host nation Morocco 1-0.

During that game, several Senegalese players briefly left the field in protest against a penalty awarded to the Moroccan team.

Last week, CAF’s Appeals Committee stripped Senegal of the victory. The decision was justified based on Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, which provide that if a team “refuses to play or leaves the field before the regulation end of the match, it will be considered to have lost by forfeit and will be permanently eliminated from the competition.”

Consequently, on Wednesday, the Senegalese Football Federation appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) — the highest judicial body in sports — and, for now, has not given up celebrating the title it considers its own.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.