The Senegalese argued Monday that they had been forced on to the pitch because of a surging crowd or to avoid being spat upon and projectiles thrown towards them.
- Hollywood stars sign open letter against Paramount-Warner deal
- Trump deletes Jesus post of himself after outcry
They said it was not to protest a refereeing decision at the end of the contentious AFCON final on January 18 which Senegal won 1-0.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) reversed Senegal’s win last month, awarding the title to Morocco two months after the final.
The Senegalese Football Federation immediately instructed its lawyers to lodge an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Defence lawyer Naima El Guellaf asked Monday that videos of the incidents be shown so as to verify the identities of the 18 Senegalese in court.
It is a move rejected by the prosecution, who said the Senegalese were caught in the act.
“The entire world saw these terrible images live,” it argued.
The judge is yet to respond to the request to replay videos of the incidents.
“There have been mistakes, the people involved in what happened are currently in Senegal and are not present here,” a second defence lawyer, Patrick Kabou, told AFP.