Relations between Senegal and Morocco have soured after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stripped Senegal of its Africa Cup of Nations title and awarded it to Morocco.
Police patrols now guard Moroccan shops in Dakar, while Senegal has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and accused CAF of corruption. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye even posed with the trophy after the ruling, defying the decision.
Tensions deepened with the jailing of 18 Senegalese fans in Morocco, described in Dakar as “hostages.” Their appeal is set for April 13.
Despite the fallout, analysts stress the two nations’ deep cultural and economic ties. Morocco has invested over $540 million in Senegal, and Senegalese pilgrims regularly travel to Fez.
As former minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio noted, “A hundred minutes of football will never ruin a thousand years of close ties.”
