Senegal welcomes its Africa Cup of Nations champions with a national holiday and parade after a dramatic 1-0 win over Morocco in the final.
SENEGAL is celebrating the return of its national football team after a dramatic Africa Cup of Nations victory over Morocco.
The country declared a national holiday as streets filled with flags and banners ahead of the champions’ arrival.
The team is expected to land at Blaise Diagne International Airport outside the capital on Monday evening.
ALSO READ: Morocco files formal complaint over Senegal’s AFCON final protest
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye will greet the players, calling them “patriots” and labelling the final a “victory for all Senegalese people”.
A parade through Dakar and a reception at the presidential palace are scheduled for Tuesday.
Senegal won its second AFCON title on Sunday with a 1-0 extra-time victory sealed by Pape Gueye’s winner.
The chaotic final saw Senegal’s players temporarily storm off the pitch late in normal time after a controversial penalty was awarded to Morocco.
Celebrations erupted across Dakar and other cities with fireworks, vuvuzelas and dancing filling the streets overnight.
Newspaper Le Soleil hailed the win with the single-word headline “Heroic!”, while L’Observateur called it “Unforgettable”.
The victory marks Senegal’s third final appearance in the last four editions of the tournament.
The regional ECOWAS bloc congratulated the team on its “remarkable victory”, calling it an immense pride for West Africa.
The match was overshadowed by controversy, including the late penalty incident and pre-final disputes over player security in Rabat.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned “unacceptable scenes” involving some Senegal players after the game.
African football’s governing body CAF said it would take “appropriate action” against those found guilty.
Several Senegalese fans expressed disappointment at the prospect of punishment for their team.
“With everything that happened before the final, during the final, are we the ones who should be punished?” supporter Lucien Pinto asked.
Another fan, Pape Nassirou Soumah, said the players “at least corrected their mistake” by returning to the pitch. – AFP
