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Rabat – Senegal coach Pape Thiaw continues to be determined to see his team as “Africa’s Champions” despite his squad’s controversial walk-off from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against Morocco.
Thiaw made his long-standing claims during a pre-match conference ahead of Senegal’s game against France, the 2022 World Cup finalist.
“It would not be a surprise if we beat France, even though they have world-class players. France are the favorites, but our team is African champions, and we have qualified for the World Cup for the third consecutive time,” Thiaw said.
The Senegalese coach’s claims came months after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) issued a new ruling to declare Morocco as Africa’s legitimate champions after Senegal’s controversial walk-off.
Senegal challenged CAF’s ruling and took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is set to rule on the case later.
However, Morocco is determined it is the rightful title holder, with the recognition of many, including FIFA.
Following Senegal’s controversial decision to withdraw from the game, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA recently approved a new disciplinary rule allowing referees to issue straight red cards to players who leave the pitch to protest against a referee’s decision
The change was passed on April 28 and will officially come into law in this year’s FIFA World Cup.
In the press conference, Thiaw also called on the country’s diaspora to rally behind their national team.
ESPN says the Senegalese community in Manhattan is estimated at 20,000.
“We do have a major Senegalese community here, and we know the Senegalese are very patriotic…. You’ll see it tomorrow, and you won’t believe that there aren’t any Senegalese people traveling from Senegal,” he said.
His remarks reference the US measures on supporters who were not able to travel due to visa denials and immigration restrictions.
Senegal and France will play tonight at 8 p.m. Moroccan time.
