History Won’t Forget: FIFA and CAF Under Fire After Senegal’s AFCON Triumph

Context

A negative stance from FIFA and CAF toward the Lions of Teranga's AFCON achievement.

FIFA and CAF, in contrast to their regular practice with the defending Africa Cup of Nations champions, the Senegal national team.

Final and aftermath

The Lions of Teranga claimed the AFCON title after a hard-fought final against hosts Morocco, 1-0.

The final featured unfortunate moments, as Senegal elected to walk off after the referee awarded a penalty to the Atlas Lions, before resuming play.

In the stands, some fans attempted to invade the pitch, but security thwarted the attempt and several Senegal supporters were detained.

Traditionally, FIFA and CAF publish congratulatory messages to the winners of major official tournaments, but this time neither body posted a congratulatory statement on their official sites.

On his official X account, Algerian commentator Hafid Derragi wrote: "A strange precedent in the tournament's history. About a week has passed since the Africa Cup final, without any official congratulations."

He continued, noting that the lack of official greetings on CAF or FIFA’s sites contrasts with the world’s congratulations for Senegal, and that history does not forget.

Punchline 1: If history forgets, Twitter remembers faster than a speeding goal.

Punchline 2: In football, the offside rule is strict, but the miscommunication between organizations is even stricter.