Senegal's president praises player for actions during AFCON final

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye heaped praise on the country’s football team in the capital Dakar on Tuesday following their Africa Cup of Nations victory.

The tense final against hosts Morocco on Sunday saw the Senegalese players briefly walk off the pitch to protest a penalty decision deep into second-half stoppage time.

On Tuesday, Faye gave a special shout out to player Sadio Mané, widely seen as the hero of Sunday’s final.

The veteran player is being widely credited for remaining calm and persuading his team to come back to finish the game, saving it from being cancelled.

Senegal went on to win 1-0 after extra time.

“Sadio Mané is today much more than just a player,” Faye said late Tuesday after the team parade arrived at the presidential palace.

Outside the palace, women sold posters of the player as people danced and sung as they celebrated Senegal’s second AFCON title.

Senegal supporter Eugénie Vaz said the victory was being celebrated outside of the country, too, in places like Mauritania and Guinea.

“The whole world supported Senegal. What you see here is actually just a small part of it,” she said.

Both the world football governing body, FIFA, and the Confederation of African Football have criticised the Senegalese team’s walk-off.

Morocco’s soccer federation, meanwhile, has called for disciplinary action, arguing that the incident disrupted the match’s flow and affected player performance.