Senegal v Morocco: CAS to hear appeal over disputed 2025 AFCON final

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear Senegal’s appeal against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) on Thursday over the controversial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.

The hearing will take place behind closed doors in Lausanne, Switzerland, with CAS confirming that no decision will be announced on the day.

The dispute centres on CAF’s decision to award the tournament to Morocco after ruling that Senegal had forfeited the final.

Senegal had initially won the match 1-0 after Pape Gueye scored in extra time, but the final descended into controversy late in normal time when the referee awarded Morocco a penalty.

Senegal’s players subsequently left the pitch in protest before returning to complete the match.

CAF later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the game and recorded a 3-0 victory in Morocco’s favour, effectively handing the hosts the Africa Cup of Nations title.

The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) challenged the decision at CAS, arguing against CAF’s ruling and seeking recognition as the legitimate winners of the tournament.

The appeal will be considered by a three-member panel chaired by French arbitrator Professor Gérald Simon.

He will be joined on the panel by Professor Luigi Fumagalli of Italy and Professor Dr Ulrich Haas of Germany.

The proceedings will be conducted in French.

CAS said in a statement on 30 September that it could not provide a specific date for when the final ruling would be delivered, but stressed that a decision would not be issued immediately after Thursday’s hearing.

The case has attracted significant attention because the ruling could alter the official outcome of one of the most controversial Africa Cup of Nations finals in recent history.

A decision in favour of Senegal would potentially overturn CAF’s decision and reopen the question of who should be recognised as the 2025 African champions.

If CAF’s decision is upheld, Morocco will retain the title awarded to them following the forfeiture ruling.

The CAS hearing therefore represents the latest stage in a dispute that has continued since the final and could have lasting implications for how similar incidents involving match abandonment, player protests and forfeiture decisions are handled in African football.