A highly influential personality in African football has spoken out about the issue of the 2025 African Cup of Nations.
Known for his brilliance on the field and outspoken nature off it, El-Hadji Diouf was in France on Sunday for an event organized by FIFA in Paris. Now serving as an advisor to the president of the Senegalese Football Federation, the former striker commented on the current situation of his national team.
As a reminder, the CAF ruled in favor of Morocco, awarding them the title of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-0 victory by default, even though the Atlas Lions had lost two months earlier on January 18 to Senegal (0-1 after extra time). The African body sanctioned the Senegalese players and their coach Pape Thiaw for leaving the field for an extended period following a series of controversial refereeing decisions.
This decision caused a stir in Africa and globally. Despite this ruling, the identity of the champion remains unchanged to Senegal. El-Hadji Diouf confirmed to Football.fr that the Lions of Teranga are the African champions and the trophy will be presented at the Stade de France this Saturday during a friendly match against Peru. “We have brought the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport; my role now is to trust them. For all football lovers, for all football connoisseurs, the African champion is Senegal,” stated the former Sochaux striker who also played for Lens and Liverpool.
El-Hadji Diouf is calling on the Senegalese people to join in the celebrations in Saint-Denis on Saturday. “I ask everyone to come. It will be a party, with performances from Youssou N’Dour and Booba, showing off the trophy like true champions, as we were on the field,” he emphasized.
The two-time African Ballon d’Or winner (2001, 2002), a symbol of the golden generation that defeated France in 2002 with players like Khalilou Fadiga, Omar Daf, Habib Beye, and the late Papa Bouba Diop, further reiterated his thoughts by pointing out that the final has come to an end. The appeal by Morocco seems contradictory to the country’s stance during the match when Brahim Diaz was about to take a penalty for the victory. “The most important thing is not to leave the field or not, the most important thing is to know who won. Did we play the 90 minutes? Did we play the extra time? Today, the most important thing is that Senegal won 1-0, with a goal by Pape Gueye. The world is happy for Senegal’s victory, and that is what matters,” he concluded. The message has been delivered.
