The Alliance of Progressive Forces (AFP) is furious. In an official statement published on March 19, 2026 in Dakar, the party led by MP Mbaye Dione expressed "deep indignation" following the decision by the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip Senegal of its 2025 African championship title in favor of Morocco.

The political party considers this administrative decision a "true breach of trust" compounded by a "flagrant injustice." AFP maintains that the results achieved on the ground cannot be overturned by what it deems an abusive interpretation of the regulations.

“Nothing in the facts observed during the final, which did indeed reach its conclusion, justifies such an extremely serious decision,” the party leadership insists. According to the progressives, the temporary interruption of play during the match cannot in any way be “legally considered an abandonment of the game,” since the match resumed and finished properly.

Call for national unity and an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)

Faced with what it describes as a clear attempt to "rob Senegal of its merit," AFP says it is ready to support the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) in all stages of its response. The party strongly encourages the FSF to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne to restore justice.

The Alliance also calls for unity among all the nation's vital forces to defend a title it considers well-deserved. It urges the Senegalese government and people not to concede an inch of ground to this arbitrary decision.

Beyond the sporting and legal issues, AFP shifts the debate to the diplomatic and humanitarian arena. The party solemnly calls upon the Head of State, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to use his influence to secure the release of 18 Senegalese nationals.

These men, described as "held hostage" in the statement, have reportedly been imprisoned in Morocco since the final. AFP believes they are "unjustly incarcerated" simply for defending the national flag.