Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has made it clear: the country is not giving up its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy without a fight.

On Thursday, just two days after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) declared Morocco the 2025 AFCON champions, Faye updated his official Facebook profile picture to prominently feature the AFCON trophy.

No words were needed – the message was clear: Senegal stands with its football team.

The government also released a statement condemning the CAF ruling as “an unjustified attempt to strip its rights,” calling for an international investigation into suspected corruption. It confirmed that authorities are fully mobilized to support 18 Senegalese fans still detained in Morocco.

Not to be outdone, the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) doubled down.

FSF Secretary General Abdoulaye Seydou Sow told Le Soleil: “Senegal has the right, and victory is on its side. The cup will not leave the country.”

He also described CAF as corrupt and promised the fight is “far from over,” with an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) already underway.

Senegalese players joined in on social media, posting images of themselves with the trophy and laughing emojis. Defender Moussa Niakhate even captioned a photo: “they’re mad.”

The controversy stems from the chaotic final in Rabat. Senegal briefly walked off the pitch after a disputed penalty was awarded to Morocco in stoppage time. CAF’s Appeals Board later applied competition rules to declare Morocco the winner, overturning the on-field 1-0 victory.

Despite the ruling, the president’s cheeky gesture and Senegal’s united response show that the country is not ready to let go of its trophy just yet.

Read: Raymond Hack: Senegal likely to win CAS appeal, says ex CAF Disciplinary Chief