Senegal to parade AFCON trophy again before Gambia friendly

Defiant Senegal will parade the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 trophy in front of home fans ahead of an international friendly against the Gambia national football team today, March 31.

.....

The Senegalese Football Federation announced the schedule in an official programme for the friendly posted on its X handle.

The programme read, “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; and 19:00 — Kick-off: Senegal vs Gambia.”

The planned presentation marks Senegal’s continu ing rejection of 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 move comes after Senegal rejected the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to strip them of the title.

The dispute stems from the AFCON 2025 final played on January 18 in Rabat.

Senegal walked off in protest over a penalty decision before later winning 1-0 in extra time.

However, CAF’s appeals board ruled on March 17 that Senegal had forfeited the match, awarding Morocco national football team a 3-0 victory and the title.

Senegal rejected the ruling, describing it as “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable.”

The country has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking to overturn the decision.