Edouard Mendy defends Sénégal in ongoing CAN 2025 final dispute

Nearly three months after the initial event, the CAN 2025 final controversy continues to generate significant debate. On January 18, in Rabat, Sénégal initially secured a 1-0 victory against Maroc after extra time. However, on March 17, the Confédération africaine de football (CAF) reversed this outcome, awarding Maroc a 3-0 win by forfeit.

The CAF appeal jury justified its decision by referencing articles 82 and 84 of the regulations, which state that a team leaving the field or refusing to resume play is automatically declared the loser. This interpretation has been strongly contested by the Fédération sénégalaise, which has since appealed to the Tribunal arbitral du sport (TAS) to challenge and overturn this verdict.

While awaiting the TAS ruling, Edouard Mendy broke his silence to champion the position of the Lions de la Teranga. During an appearance on the Saudi podcast Mo Show Prod, the Al-Hilal goalkeeper presented a version of events that directly contradicts the accusations of collective abandonment put forth by the Moroccan side.

Mendy, who was a hero in the final for stopping Brahim Diaz’s penalty, emphasized a crucial point. “People claimed we all left the field during the final, but that’s incorrect. There were still players on the pitch. It’s very important to highlight this,” he stated.

Edouard Mendy clarifies Sénégal’s stance

Furthermore, Mendy referenced the report from referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to support his argument: “And that’s precisely why the referee didn’t blow the final whistle. His report mentioned that the match was paused for a moment, but not that the team abandoned it, because players remained on the field.”

According to the former Chelsea goalkeeper, the match did indeed resume, which would invalidate any claim of a forfeit: “The game stopped for a moment and then restarted, so from that point, there’s no need to discuss what happened because the match continued until the end. If the entire team had been absent, we wouldn’t be discussing this today. But that wasn’t the case.”

Nevertheless, this account doesn’t fully resolve all ambiguities. According to Afrik Foot, the official report, corroborated by video footage, suggests that almost the entire team, with the notable exception of Sadio Mané, did leave the pitch for several minutes. This reportedly included Edouard Mendy himself, who was seen among the first to head to the changing rooms. The battle of differing narratives continues, as the football world eagerly anticipates the final verdict from the TAS regarding this contentious CAN 2025 final controversy.