Ibrahim Mbaye, the 18-year-old Paris Saint-Germain and Senegal striker, was asked by DSports, on the sidelines of the national team camp, to begin mourning the loss of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following a CAF decision because his team left the pitch during the final against Morocco. It was his PSG teammate Achraf Hakimi (a 27-year-old Moroccan right-back) who informed him of the decision.
Mbaye: “For me, it doesn’t change anything”
“I didn’t have any particular reaction, because we won on the pitch. We have the medal, it’s still at my house, and the trophy is at home. For me, it doesn’t change anything: we won on the pitch. I wasn’t even aware of it; it was Hakimi who told me about the CAF’s decision. He said to me, ‘Did you see the news? They gave us the trophy.’ We talked about it briefly, we just accepted it as a fact.” For me, I won the AFCON. After that, our discussion remained private.
There’s been a lot of discussion since the decision was announced: how to react? Can Moroccans really celebrate? Can Senegalese erase theirs? There can’t be two winners or two losers in a final, yet that’s somewhat the feeling here. In any case, African football’s image suffers.
We see here that Mbaye was informed by another player, more than two months after the final. This makes no sense and leaves everyone a bit perplexed. The PSG striker has made his decision; he still sees himself as an African champion, and we understand why. Especially since Senegal has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), so the verdict could still change.
