- Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has confirmed that he would not return his 2025 Africa Cup of Nations medal
- Teranga Lions captain in the final, Idrissa Gana Gueye, previously offered to collect and return all the medals
- Pape Gueye, who scored the winning goal, has kicked against this, claiming Senegal are the rightful winners
Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has kicked against his teammate Idrissa Gana Gueye’s offer to return the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations medals.
The Teranga Lions defeated the Atlas Lions of Morocco to win the AFCON 2025 title at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on January 18, 2026.
Source: Getty Images
However, the final was tainted by Senegal’s protest on the order of head coach Pape Thiaw, during which they interrupted the match for about 17 minutes.
The decision was made to protest against Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala’s decision to award Morocco a penalty after disallowing Senegal’s goal.
Sadio Mane spoke to his teammates to return to the pitch and complete the match, and they obliged to their respected colleague’s intervention.
Brahim Diaz missed the penalty after attempting a ridiculous Panenka, which was easily saved by Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, forcing the match into extra time.
Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye scored the winning goal four minutes into the extra time, and the Teranga Lions held on for the win and the title.
CAF investigated the incident during the final and sanctioned both Morocco and Senegal with suspensions and fines for the individuals involved.
The Moroccan Football Federation appealed the judgment, prompting CAF to overturn the result of the final and declare Morocco champions.
CAF further rejected Morocco’s request to withdraw the trophy and medals from the Senegalese contingent and have them return the prize money as well.
Senegal’s captain in the final, Idrissa Gana Gueye, spoke after the incident and offered to collect the medals from his teammates and return them to CAF.
Pape Gueye responds to Gana’s claims
AFCON 2025 winning goalscorer Pape Gueye has reflected on the incidents in the final and claimed that it doesn’t stop Senegal from being champions.
“Do we feel like champions? Yes, of course, because we are simply the African champions. We managed to win this final on the pitch, the whole world saw it,” he told L’Equipe.
“There were those incidents, the interruption, but the match resumed. When the penalty was awarded, no Moroccan wanted to stop the match; they all wanted to take it. So why dwell on the final result?”
He responded to Gana’s claims to return the medal, claiming the Everton midfielder was sarcastic and he had informed him that he wouldn’t return his medal.
“And besides, the medals are with us. Are we going to return the medals like Idrissa Gueye said? No, no, that was ironic! I told him I wasn’t about to give up my medal! The whole world knows very well that the cup was won by Senegal,” he added.
Source: Getty Images
The 26-year-old admitted that the incident in the final was not the best example, but his team acted to defend themselves against injustice and thanked Sadio Mane for his intervention.
“It might not have been the best example to leave the pitch, but when you’re facing injustice, with the pressure of the match, a final on top of that,” he said.
“Sadio told us to come back, that we were going to play like men, and that if we were going to lose, that’s just how it is. We all listened to him: penalty saved, extra time, and my goal.”
CAS’ latest update on Senegal’s case
Legit.ng previously reported that CAS has decided that Senegal’s appeal to CAF’s judgment will not be expedited, and the verdict will take time.
The expedition agreement has to be mutual among all parties involved, and if not agreed to, the verdict could take up to a year before it is passed.
Source: Legit.ng
