Senegal Defiantly Parade Afcon Trophy Amidst Controversy

Senegal's national football team took to the pitch at the Stade de France with the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) trophy, defiantly displaying their claim to the title despite being stripped of it earlier this month. The team, led by coach Pape Thiaw, paraded the trophy before their World Cup warm-up game against Peru, which they won 2-0.

Nicolas Jackson scored four minutes before half-time and Ismaïla Sarr added a second in the 54th minute as Senegal secured their first win since January's Cup of Nations final. The team's captain, Kalidou Koulibaly, and his teammates came out on to the pitch with the Afcon trophy for a lap of honour after a pre-match concert by the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour.

Senegal have launched a legal battle against the decision to strip them of the trophy and award it to Morocco. The Caf appeal board awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory on 17 March because Senegal staged a 14-minute walk-off during January's final in Rabat in protest against the award of a penalty to the hosts in added time immediately after Senegal had had a goal ruled out.

Coach Pape Thiaw emphasized that his team considers themselves African champions, stating, 'We know we're African champions. We're going to keep working to win more trophies. It's clear in our minds that competitions and trophies are won on the pitch.'

Thiaw also highlighted the importance of not getting distracted by the controversy, saying, 'The most important thing is not to get distracted.' Senegal lodged an appeal this week with the Swiss-based court of arbitration for sport.

In a related development, Morocco drew 1-1 against Ecuador on Friday in a friendly in Madrid, their first match since the final and the controversial decision to punish Senegal. Morocco's coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, expressed satisfaction with the draw against the 'African champions,' highlighting the strength of his team.