Senegal go to extreme lengths to keep hold of AFCON trophy after being stripped of title

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Even though Senegal is no longer the Africa Cup of Nations champion, they still physically possess the trophy, which is now being kept secure at a military base.

The Africa Cup of Nations final in January was a thrilling game, with Senegal winning after a nail-biting extra time. The winning goal in the 94th minute was already exciting, but it happened after Morocco, the host country, missed a penalty that was given under questionable circumstances.

Senegal’s players and coaches protested a series of calls they disagreed with during the game, and walked off the field for more than ten minutes.

The team won the game when they originally played, but two months later, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruled that leaving the field violated regulations and resulted in a forfeit.

The AFCON trophy is being protected by the military

Morocco made history with a 3-0 victory in the final, but they haven’t actually won the championship yet.

According to reports, Senegal’s coach, Pape Thiaw, brought the championship trophy to a military base in Senegal. A video shows him with a large group of soldiers, holding the trophy.

Breaking news: The Senegal national team’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy was brought to their military base today! It’s now on display in the center of the camp, symbolizing their pride and determination to hold onto their hard-earned victory. 😄

— Topskills Sports UK (@topskillsportuk) March 19, 2026

It’s unclear how long Senegal will keep the trophy, but they have a good reason for not giving it up right away. They’ve officially appealed the decision, arguing they won the game fairly, and want to wait until the appeal process is finished before returning it.

CAF decision has been unusually swift

The decision to take away Senegal’s title has faced criticism, not only regarding this specific situation, but also within the broader football community.

It might seem strange that the CAF took so long to make this decision, especially considering Manchester City is still facing an investigation into 115 alleged financial rule violations that go back several years.

Okay, so everyone’s saying if City gets proven guilty of all this, they should strip them of all their titles. Seriously, if that actually happened, it would be absolutely huge – a total game-changer for the Premier League and honestly, for football in general. It’s hard to even imagine what that would look like.

Chelsea recently received a fine of £10.75 million for secretly paying agents £47.5 million over the last ten years. This could establish a standard for what punishment Manchester City might face. However, others believe Senegal’s case offers a more relevant comparison.

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2026-03-20 13:50