Kalidou Koulibaly, the defender of the Senegal national team, revealed details of his reaction following the decision by the Confederation of African Football to withdraw the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title from his country and award it to Morocco, after Senegal withdrew from the final match.

Koulibaly said in media statements that his colleague Yassine Bounou initially told him that he was no longer the African champion, but he thought it was just a joke, until he confirmed the decision's validity after an official statement was issued by CAF.

He added, "At first, we couldn't believe what happened, and we laughed at the oddity of the situation, saying that Al Hilal Club now has two African champions at the same time."

The CAF Appeals Committee decided, according to the tournament regulations, to consider the Senegal national team as having lost the final match with a score of 3-0 after their withdrawal, officially awarding the title to the Moroccan national team.