Senegal prepares for festive parade to celebrate AFCON winners
Following their triumph in the Africa Cup of Nations, the Senegal national football team is set to process through the streets of Dakar on Tuesday, culminating their celebrations at the presidential palace.
The players touched down via a chartered plane from Morocco just before midnight on Monday, where they received a warm welcome from President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, and various government officials.
Senegal clinched the Africa Cup of Nations title in Rabat on Sunday, thanks to Pape Gueyes decisive goal in extra time, which defeated the host nation Morocco 1-0 in a tumultuous final that included the victorious side briefly leaving the field late on.
The squads major procession will wind its way through Dakars avenues, adorned with flags bearing the national hues, kicking off officially at 11:00 am local time and extending over multiple hours.
That said, the events launch could face a postponement owing to the teams delayed touchdown at the airport on Monday, running considerably behind the planned timetable.
The itinerary will traverse areas from modest districts to affluent zones, then proceed along the capitals famed coastal road, the Corniche, with crowds numbering in the tens of thousands expected to line the path.
Afterwards, the athletes will enjoy a formal reception outside the presidential palace sometime in the late afternoon or evening.
Throughout Sunday night, Dakars air filled with blaring car horns, bursts of fireworks, and the intense blasts of vuvuzelas as supporters spilled onto the roads following Senegals success, with the lively festivities persisting into a second evening on Monday.
In the wake of the win, local papers brimmed with enthusiasm: Le Soleil splashed just one word, Heroic!, across its front page, whereas LObservateur dubbed the achievement Unforgettable.
Nevertheless, the fixture was dogged by disputes.
The continents premier football tournament was overshadowed when the bulk of Senegals squad exited the pitch during added time of regular play, with the score tied at 0-0, after Morocco earned a penalty via a VAR review by official Jean-Jacques Ndala for an incident involving Brahim Diaz.
The Lions of Teranga were already incensed over a goal ruled out due to what appeared a minor infringement shortly before.
Meanwhile, some irate Senegal supporters clashed with Moroccan stewards at the far side of the venue, but the players did return eventually to witness Diaz place a tame spot-kick straight into the grasp of custodian Edouard Mendy.
The Moroccan Football Association announced it would report the episodes, encompassing objections from Senegal players and spectators, to the Confederation of African Football and FIFA.
Yet Senegals supporters appeared undeterred come Tuesday, as fresh vuvuzela calls pierced the dawn, and Dakars residents gathered beside the processions course, tunes pumping and banners fluttering.