Iliman Ndiaye, forward for Everton, insists Senegal are African champions in "many people's eyes" despite a legal dispute over the ultimate destination of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) trophy.

The 2025 Afcon Final

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in extra time in the January 2025 Afcon final. The match was marred by several controversies. In the second-half stoppage time, Moroccan players were awarded a penalty after the referee adjudged that Senegal's Ismaila Sarr had fouled Morocco's Achraf Hakimi before scoring. This led several Senegal players, including Ndiaye, to walk off the field in protest. After a delay of around 17 minutes, Brahim Diaz's Panenka-style penalty was saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and Pape Gueye scored the winner in extra time.

The Legal Dispute

On 17 March, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) appeals board awarded the title to Morocco, ruling that the West Africans breached tournament regulations when they left the field of play without the referee's permission. Senegal's football federation has since taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has yet to make a decision.

"Obviously, in our eyes and many other people's eyes, we are the champions of Africa," Ndiaye told Newsday on the BBC World Service. "Whatever their decisions will [be], it doesn't disturb us. The same focus and hunger and determination that we had going into the Afcon, we're going to do the same going into the World Cup. It's another trophy on the line and nothing's going to distract us."

Senegal face France, Norway, and Iraq in Group I at the 2026 World Cup, which is being held in Canada, Mexico, and the USA from 11 June to 19 July.

Ndiaye started the Afcon final in Rabat but was substituted and watching from the bench when the key controversies occurred. "It was just a bit of unfairness that happened for us," he said. "That's what we thought on the pitch with the goal being disallowed and then the penalty, which we don't think was a penalty, in the space of a short time. Emotions were really high and you do things straight away."

However, Ndiaye admits the fallout since the final and the decision by the Caf appeals board to strip them of the title is "not a good look" for the African game. "The main focus is that we came back, they [took] the penalty, they could have won it, we scored, we won the game," the 26-year-old said. "We won the trophy with all that celebration. To take all of that away two months after the final whistle… I don't understand."