AFCON: Senegal ready for any eventualities from CAF – Bacary Cissé

A top Senegal official has openly claimed they will continue to celebrate their success of beating Morocco to win the Africa Cup of Nations and are ready for any eventualities if implemented from the bodies governing football.

While sanctions have been announced for the Senegalese national team and its coach Pape Thiaw for ordering his players to leave the field, rumours have been going round that Senegal could be denied their success of winning AFCON, and banned from the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

However, a member of the Senegalese Football Federation and president of the Communication Commission, Bacary Cissé, has maintained Senegal’s innocence in the whole saga that surrounded the final at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

‘We have competent leaders’

“Today, there is a lot of noise surrounding these events, but Senegal remains focused. We have competent leaders who are fully aware of the regulations,” Cissé told TFM as quoted by Wiwsport.com.

“For the moment, we will savor our victory, remain calm, and issue no comments or statements. We have competent leaders, and we will prepare for anything.”

On the events that unvolded in the closing stages of the final, Cissé said: “It all started with a play and a poor refereeing decision, but that’s normal because it’s part of the sequence of events in a match.

“Between Morocco and Senegal, there are ties that go beyond football, but at some point, everyone has to defend their country’s colors.

“Everyone saw that Senegal scored a valid goal. At no point did Hakimi pay attention to the ball; he focused on Abdoulaye Seck, because he knew he wouldn’t give anything away in the air.

“The referee’s decisions, especially the offside that led to the corner and the penalty, created natural frustration, while the Senegalese players have remained humble so far, even in victory.

“There was no noise, no provocation. Their attitude reflected humility and concentration, as if they had already lost the match, so focused were they on their objective. I understand Pape Thiaw’s attitude.”