Senegal poised to party with parade honouring AFCON champs

Ahead of the procession, thousands had gathered at the parade's starting point, a working-class neighbourhood called Patte d'Oie, wearing team jerseys, chanting, whistling, blowing vuvuzelas and bringing traffic to a standstill.

The old, young, men and women turned out with rare intensity, some lining the street while others watched on from buildings or a nearby bridge. Security forces were also present in larges numbers.

The Senegal players arrived on a special flight from Morocco shortly before midnight on Monday, where they were greeted by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and other members of the government.

Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat on Sunday, Pape Gueye's extra-time winner sinking hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game.

The team's "grand parade" will take them through both working-class and upscale neighbourhoods before travelling along the capital's iconic oceanside highway, the Corniche, with tens of thousands likely turning out to watch.

The players will then be officially received in front of the presidential palace in the late afternoon or evening.

The streets of Dakar have been decked out in banners with national colours, and vuvuzelas could be heard Tuesday morning in neighbourhoods far from the parade route.

The ruckus of whistles and horns has been almost constant since Senegal's victory Sunday night, when fans flooded the streets, filling the air with honking, fireworks and the deafening roar of vuvuzelas.

The country's newspapers were equally ebullient: "Heroic!" Le Soleil wrote as its single-word headline, while L'Observateur simply called the triumph "Unforgettable".

The win marked Senegal's second title, after their 2022 victory over Egypt in Cameroon. It was the team's third final in just the last four editions.

Hortense Kenny brought her five-year-old child to Patte d'Oie Tuesday to watch the parade.

"The Lions made an entire nation proud, beating the host country in those circumstances", she told AFP, referring to the end of the match. "Now, all that's left is to win the World Cup. With Sadio Mane, anything is possible."

Nearby Abdulai Sy, a 49-year-old, told AFP he felt "very, very happy", and was personally touched by the victory which gave him a "big sense of pride to also be Senegalese".

- Controversial win -

Fans Tuesday seemed unphased by a cloud of controversy surrounding their team's win.

African football's showpiece event was marred by most of the Senegal team walking off when, deep into injury time of normal play and with the match locked at 0-0, Morocco were awarded a spot-kick following a VAR check by referee Jean-Jacques Ndala for a challenge on Brahim Diaz.

Senegal were already furious at having a goal disallowed for a soft-looking foul minutes earlier.

As a group of their enraged fans fought with Moroccan security personnel at the other end of the stadium, Senegal's players eventually returned to the pitch to see Diaz chip a soft penalty into the arms of their goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

The Moroccan FA said it had referred the incidents, including protests from Senegal players and fans, to the Confederation of African Football and FIFA.

Far from Morocco, football's lucrative business side had trickled down even to the streets of Dakar on Tuesday.

Amath Ndiaye, a 36-year-old street vendor who usually sells tissues, told AFP he has switched to hawking jerseys, flags, vuvuzelas and whistles for the duration of AFCON and the celebratory aftermath.

How's business going?: "I'm doing well", he told AFP from Patte d'Oie, near the joyous crowd decked out in patriotic Senegalese gear and holding flags.