Senegal and Everton's Gueye ready to give back AFCON medals to ease tensions

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/hOIsJLJr/"]Senegal[/a] beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] 1-0 in extra-time in the January final in Rabat, but CAF punished them last week for their 15-minute walk-off during the match, overturning the result and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/morocco-IDKYO3R8/senegal-hOIsJLJr/?mid=0KhPZfnQ"]awarding a 3-0 win and the title to hosts Morocco.[/a][/p][p][b]"I personally commit to collecting the medals and maybe giving them back to Morocco if that can ease tensions between the two countries," [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gueye-idrissa/f12b2WQA/"]Gueye[/a] told Canal+ on Saturday after his [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/everton/KluSTr9s/"]Everton[/a] side's 3-0 win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea[/a] in the Premier League.[/p][p][b]"It's just ridiculous... a football match is won on the pitch, that's what we did in Morocco.[/b][/p][p][b]"We did what we had to do on the pitch, we won that match.[/b][/p][p][b]"We deserve to be African champions. We are the African champions as far as we're concerned. Titles are won on the pitch, not in offices."[/b][/p][embed guid="43cbd14d-8848-49a4-b324-782a4443b5bb" url="https://x.com/Everton/status/2035642644551160011" social-type="twitter" /][p]Gueye, who captained Senegal in the AFCON final in place of the suspended [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/koulibaly-kalidou/hSKz7qT3/"]Kalidou Koulibaly[/a], took issue, however, with his federation's decision to appeal CAF's decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.[/p][p][b]"If it were up to me, I would have told the federation not to appeal,"[/b] he said.[/p][p]The continent's showpiece football final on January 18 descended into chaos when Senegal players walked off in protest after the hosts were awarded a controversial penalty late in second-half stoppage time.[/p][p]Play resumed after a quarter of an hour of confusion and tension, with Senegal supporters throwing objects and trying to invade the pitch.[/p][p]Morocco's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diaz-brahim/nm2Qvnyk/"]Brahim Diaz[/a] missed his penalty before Senegal went on to win with a goal from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gueye-pape/p6rsDQvN/"]Pape Gueye[/a] in extra-time.[/p]