Massive celebrations are still ongoing in Senegal as the country jubilates the nation’s first success after over fifty years of fielding teams at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON0 finals.
Led by Liverpool star Sadio Mane, Senegal overcame Mohamed Salah’s Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out in Sunday’s final in Cameroon. The game had finished goalless after extra time.
On Tuesday, the squad was hosted at the presidential palace in the capital Dakar and Senegal’s President Macky Sall awarded the members of the squad cash prizes and plots of land as thousands of fans cheered outside the gates.
President Macky Sall announced a cash prize of $87,000 (about Shs305 million) for each team member, as well as a 200 square-meter (2,100 square-foot) plot of land in Dakar, and a 500 square-meter (5,400 square-foot) plot in the nearby city of Diamniadio.
“By your vital force and your creative genius, you have reversed the course of history. We dreamed of the cup, you built this dream and you made it come true,” the president said, according to local media reports.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will pay Senegal $5 million (about Shs17 billion) for winning the 2021 Africa Cup of Nation title.