Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye has insisted that his side rightly earned the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title on the pitch, but expressed willingness to hand back the medals to Morocco if it helps ease tensions between the two nations.
Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 after extra time in the January final in Rabat, but the Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned the result following a 15-minute Senegal walk-off, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory and the title.
Speaking to Canal+ after Everton’s 3-0 Premier League win over Chelsea, Gueye said:
"We did what we had to do on the pitch, we won that match. We deserve to be African champions. We are the African champions as far as we're concerned. Titles are won on the pitch, not in offices."
The Senegal captain during the final, in place of the suspended Kalidou Koulibaly, also criticized his federation’s decision to appeal CAF’s ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"If it were up to me, I would have told the federation not to appeal," he added.
The final descended into chaos after Senegal protested a late penalty awarded to Morocco, walking off for fifteen minutes before play resumed. Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, and Senegal ultimately scored in extra time through Pape Gueye.
Gueye’s remarks highlight ongoing tensions around CAF’s ruling, while asserting Senegal’s players and fans still consider themselves Africa’s rightful champions.
