Senegalese international Idrissa Gueye has offered to «hand over» their Africa Cup of Nations winner’s medals to Morocco if it would help «de-escalate tensions.»
«I personally commit to gathering the medals,» declared the Everton professional on Saturday after their 3-0 Premier League victory against Chelsea, although he still considers his team the rightful champions of the Africa Cup.
«This is simply ridiculous. A football match is won on the pitch, and we did that in Morocco,» said Gueye, who replaced the suspended captain Kalidou Coulibaly in the final. «We deserve to be African champions, we are African champions. Titles are won on the pitch, not in offices,» added the 128-cap international.
Appeal Filed: Senegal Awaits Ruling
Regarding the announced appeal by the Senegalese Football Federation, Gueye stated: «If it were up to me, I would have advised the federation not to appeal.» The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had on Tuesday stripped Senegal of the continental title, awarding the match 3-0 to Morocco. Late Tuesday night, the Senegalese federation announced its intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.
During the final match on January 18, Gueye’s team initially walked off the pitch after a penalty decision for Morocco in second-half stoppage time. The players only returned after a lengthy interruption, during which Senegalese fans threw objects onto the field and attempted to storm the pitch. Moroccan player Brahim Diaz missed his penalty, and shortly thereafter, Papa Gueye scored to make it 1-0.