CAF’s Neocolonial Coup: Denying Senegal’s Pitch Triumph

ACUC stands in solidarity with the people of Senegal. Our position is unwavering because football is a game of the people, played for the people, and its most sacred moments are decided in the passionate gaze of the people present, not in the closed-door dealings of remote committees.

Senegal’s Hard-Earned Trophy Cannot Be Surrendered to a Boardroom Coup-

We urge Senegal to resist, with every fiber of its being, the demand to hand over a victory that was won with blood, sweat, and honor on the pitch.

The final of the last AFCON tournament, held at Morocco’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, was a battle decided in the crucible of extra time.
It was Pape Gueye’s 94th-minute strike that settled the contest, a moment of truth that belonged to the players and the fans who witnessed it.

That battle was won on the pitch. The trophy was earned on the pitch.
To have this result overturned nearly two months after the final whistle is a grotesque perversion of justice, an act that seeks to erase a truth displayed with energy, resilience, and tenacity on the pitch.

Senegal’s victory was achieved on the sacred ground of a football pitch, under the authority of an internationally recognized FIFA referee, and with a match commissioner present to bear witness.

The praxis of football—its action, its reality—is not found in boardrooms. Football is not played in the corridors of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
It is played on the field, and Senegal did exactly that.

Therefore, the decision to overturn Senegal’s victory in Rabat is not a sporting judgment; it smacks of a deeply induced, external neocolonial interference in one of Africa’s greatest festivals.

A Political Decision Demanding Total Rejection-

This ruling is a purely political maneuver, designed to fracture the much-desired African unity that football so beautifully fosters.

The stated justification—a rule regarding a temporary walk-off in protest—is a pretext.
It is a weaponization of bureaucracy against the will of the people and the merit of the athletes.

What has happened to Senegal is a stark manifestation of neocolonial efforts to control and divide the continent.

This must be resisted outrightly, not just by Senegal, but by every African nation that values its sovereignty and the integrity of its institutions.

If this act of dispossession is allowed to stand without fierce resistance, it will set a precedent. It will be used against any African state whose leadership or success is disliked by imperialist interests, whether in the boardroom, on the pitch, or on the world stage.

Resistance Now, for the Soul of Africa-

The fight against growing African unity is waged on many fronts: through sports, religion, tribe, art, and politics.

The manipulation of CAF is the latest, most brazen example.
It must be watched, exposed, and resisted with the full might of all Africans who stand against the slavitude that persists in our current weak self-rules.

CAF Must Become a Truly Independent Institution-

CAF must evolve into an independently African body, existing to project the African Personality free from negative influences, both from within and without. Every game should offer lessons that are applied to future encounters, not twisted into legalistic weapons to overturn a past event.

If rules are to be applied, a boardroom could be set up close to the pitch to take immediate action during the game—not months later, in secret, away from the people’s eyes.

ACUC stands firmly with the Senegalese Football Federation.
Their characterization of this overturn as unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable is perfectly correct. It must be the rallying cry for all who believe in justice.

The integrity of African football is now in question.
Its governance, its fairness, and its consistency in disciplinary processes have all been compromised, taking on a neocolonial character that threatens the soul of the game.

The economies of many African states are under strain due to global interests that work against our people. Now, from the economy, this same force is attempting to kill the sweetness of African football, to steal our joy and our unity. This is an act of war on our collective spirit, and it must be resisted.

Benjamin Anyagre Aziginaateeg,
AfriKan Continental Union Consult (ACUC)
Ghana Chapter.

 

 

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