South African football icon Mark Fish has launched a scathing attack on the Confederation of African Football (CAF), insisting Senegal are the true champions of Africa.
Fish’s comments come in the wake of CAF’s decision to award the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title to Ivory Coast. The Ivorians secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Nigeria in the final on February 11th, 2024, at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.
However, Fish argues that Senegal, the 2021 champions, were unjustly eliminated from the tournament. The Teranga Lions were knocked out in the Round of 16 by the hosts, Ivory Coast, following a tense 1-1 draw that was decided by a penalty shootout.
“CAF must explain to us why Senegal is not the champion of Africa,” Fish stated emphatically. He pointed to a specific and controversial incident as the core of his argument. “There was a clear penalty for Senegal that was not awarded during their match against Ivory Coast. If that penalty had been given, the outcome of the entire tournament could have been different.”
The former defender, a 1996 AFCON winner with Bafana Bafana, revealed that this perceived injustice is a major topic of discussion among many of his fellow African football legends. He claims there is a shared sense of frustration over the officiating.
“I have spoken with many African football legends, and we all agree,” Fish said. “We want to know what CAF is doing about the standard of refereeing. For us, Senegal is the champion.”
By highlighting this unrewarded penalty, Fish and his colleagues believe the course of the championship was altered, unfairly depriving Senegal of the opportunity to defend their crown and ultimately handing the trophy to Ivory Coast.
