Rabat – Edouard Mendy has reopened one of the most controversial chapters of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, insisting that Senegal still considers itself a two-time African champion despite the Confederation of African Football (CAF) later awarding the disputed final to Morocco.
Speaking to The Guardian, the Senegal goalkeeper reflected on the dramatic final at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, recalling his stoppage-time save from Brahim Díaz and defending Senegal’s decision to leave the pitch after Morocco were awarded a late penalty.
Mendy’s comments come months after CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final following the team’s walk-off protest.
CAF subsequently recorded the match as a 3-0 victory for Morocco under Article 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations. Senegal appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with the case scheduled to be heard on October 8.
Read also: 2025 AFCON Final: The Truth About Senegal’s Walk-Off, Logistics Claims, and a Decisive Rulebook
For Mendy, however, the story remains very different.
“The only thing we have to remember is that the game went to the end. We went off the pitch but the game restarted,” he said.
“For me there is no issue because the final was completed, we were given the trophy and celebrated in our country.”Mendy then made his position even clearer, stressing: “When you speak to me about the Afcon, I just simply tell you that: ‘Yes, we have won it twice.’”
The goalkeeper insisted that his comments were not directed against Morocco or its supporters.
“That’s nothing against the Moroccan people or anyone else. It’s just how we feel,” he added, stressing: “You can’t change something that has already been decided.”
Yet that final assertion comes against the backdrop of a decision that has already changed what the veteran goalkeeper keenly presents as the official and unchangeable record of the competition. CAF’s Appeal Board already ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final and recorded a 3-0 victory for the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
Mendy still remembers the Diaz penalty
One of the defining moments of the final came in stoppage time when Morocco were awarded a penalty after a VAR review for a challenge involving Brahim Díaz.
The decision triggered an extraordinary reaction from the Senegal bench and players. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw instructed his players to leave the pitch, with several Senegalese players heading toward the tunnel.
After roughly 15 minutes, the players returned.
Diaz then stepped up against Mendy, attempting a Panenka. The goalkeeper stayed in the middle and caught the ball.
Mendy now says he had already read what Diaz was planning.
“I realized two steps before he shot,” he explained. “Usually when a player does a Panenka they slow down for the last step, but I noticed he did it early.”
Mendy claimed that he knew Diaz’s preferred direction. “I know his preferred side is on the right. But when I saw him slow down way before, I just stood up and managed to catch the ball.”
The save kept the match level, but only briefly. Four minutes into extra time, Pape Gueye scored for Senegal to make it 1-0.
CAF later determined that Senegal’s walk-off constituted a violation of the tournament regulations and changed the official result.
In March 2026, CAF’s Appeal Board declared that Senegal had forfeited the final and recorded the match as a 3-0 win for Morocco. The decision came after the earlier disciplinary proceedings had imposed sanctions but left the result untouched.
CAF’s ruling notably cited Senegal’s conduct during the final and Article 84 of the AFCON regulations.
But the Senegalese federation defied the CAF ruling, taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Mendy also ranked the AFCON title as the crowning achievement of his career. The 34-year-old goalkeeper has won the Champions League with Chelsea and two Asian Champions League titles with Al-Ahli. Yet he places Senegal’s AFCON triumph above all of them.
“Winning Afcon was the best moment of my football career: it was 10 times better [than the Champions League].”
“I can compare now because I’ve also won the Asian Champions League twice.” he added.
Mendy explained why the 2021 AFCON triumph remains so important to him: “To win for your club is something really incredible. But you cannot compare with winning for your country, especially when they have never won anything before.”
But his latest comments have brought the 2025 AFCON final back into the spotlight, but his personal interpretation does not alter the current official record.
For now, CAF recognizes Morocco as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations champion after its Appeal Board awarded the final to the Moroccan side by a 3-0 forfeiture decision.
Pending the CAS ruling in the coming weeks or months, Morocco remains the official winner of the 2025 continental crown.
