Credit: Imago

Max Wilkins

Wed 18 March 2026 8:40, UK

Everton stars Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye have now had their AFCON title with Senegal stripped from them.

The Toffees duo spent the winter away from Merseyside at the Africa Cup of Nations, where they both played a key role.

A combined 13 appearances at the tournament helped their side on their way to winning the entire tournament for the second time in a row.

Pape Gueye’s strike in the final proved to be the difference against Morocco, but that didn’t go down without plenty of controversy.

Everton may have the Premier League to focus on, but two of their better players have now lost a major honour due to a technicality.

Senegal stripped of AFCON title, Morocco awarded win

The AFCON final was played at Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in mid-January and will certainly be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Senegal had a second-half goal ruled out for a soft foul after a VAR review, which only added to a tense atmosphere.

That turned nasty when referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo awarded the host nation a penalty for a controversial foul given against West Ham’s El Hadji Malick Diouf.

Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz went on to miss the spot kick with his penenka attempt, taking the whole world by surprise as Edouard Mendy made an easy save.

Before he had the chance to fail from the spot, the Senegal players were raging, and the whole side, bar Sadio Mane, left the pitch and returned to the dressing room.

They eventually returned and saw out a win, but the Confederation of African Football has now overturned the result and handed Morocco a 3-0 win.

CAF stated that Senegal breached Article 82 of the regulations, which states that if a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authorisation, it will be considered the loser and eliminated from the competition.

That has now left the Everton pair Ndiaye and Gueye without a Senegal honour to their name, due to a technicality nearly two months later.

Everton Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye lose AFCON title

This ruling is certainly at it’s early stages right now, but the feeling surrounding it isn’t one of positivity from across the world.

Senegal still won the trophy on the day, but despite having the memories and the medal, the official title has been stripped from the players.

That will obviously have an impact on Gueye, but it feels more likely that Ndiaye could feel down due to losing his first-ever career major honour.

The mental impacts could be on show for the Everton duo, but there may also be financial repercussions further down the line.

The winner of AFCON receives a figure in the region of £5.2million and the runners-up approximately £2.9m.

That in itself could see the Everton duo lose out on a fair share of money, especially after being awarded plots of land and financial rewards of £97,000.

Although it may seem minor, it will still take a toll on the pair just months after what is likely to be one of the best days of their life.