Dakar, Senegal — Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has accused the Confederation of African Football of chronic weakness, insisting “we cannot have the respect of the Euro or the Copa America, because we do not have strong institutions that place our competition where it should be.” The comments came on the eve of a friendly against Gambia in Dakar, three days after Senegal walked off the pitch during stoppage-time of the AFCON 2025 final qualifier in Rabat when a penalty was awarded to Morocco.
Coach Aliou Cissé instructed the squad to leave the field; play halted for several minutes before the team returned, but CAF later awarded Morocco a 3-0 forfeit win under Article 82, which mandates an instant forfeiture for any unauthorized departure.
Senegal has now filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing the sanction should be overturned, a move the federation’s critics label contradictory given the team’s on-field refusal to accept the referee’s decision.
Mendy, 32, expanded his critique, saying, “Today, you see African players in the best clubs in the world, winning trophies. But this work is damaged by a handful of people,” although he did not name officials or specify reforms.
CAF’s Appeals Committee upheld the forfeiture, citing referee reports that confirmed the walk-off; CAS is expected to limit its review to whether regulations were applied correctly rather than re-examining the penalty decision itself.
Source: moroccoworldnews
