Sébastien Pocognoli said that Lamine Camara and Krépin Diatta were “still [his] champions” after Senegal were stripped of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.
Senegal won the AFCON title, beating Morocco in the final back in January, but only after a walkoff during the dying seconds of regulation time, after the host nation were awarded a last-gasp penalty. Brahim Diaz would take the penalty after a lengthy delay but missed, with Senegal winning in extra time.
On Tuesday, CAF announced that Senegal had broken the rules by leaving the pitch in protest and so overturned the result. Morocco are, therefore, currently the official champions of the 2026 edition of AFCON; Senegal will appeal the decision, with the nation’s government denouncing corruption.
Officially, Monaco duo Lamine Camara and Krépin Diatta are no longer African champions. For Pocognoli, CAF’s ruling changes nothing. “For me, they are still the champions,” began Pocognoli in a press conference attended by Get French Football News. “I think that Lamine and Krépin feel the same. For them, they are the champions. Everything that is without context, you can’t control. It hasn’t affected them too much […] We are very proud of what they achieved. They know that they are champions.”
