Court of Arbitration for Sport postpones Douanes and CR Belouizdad ties after Hafia appeal

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has postponed both matches between Mauritanian club Douanes and Algerian side CR Belouizdad in the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup, following a request from Guinean club Hafia Conakry.

The first leg had been scheduled for 17 October, with the return fixture due to take place between 23 and 25 October. Both matches will now be delayed while the sporting dispute involving Hafia is considered.

Hafia said in an official statement that the court issued provisional measures in the case on Friday, 16 October 2026. The club had brought the case after objecting to a decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to order a replay of its second-leg match against Douanes in the first preliminary round of the competition.

The Guinean club said the court had noted that CAF’s decision to classify the incident as force majeure did not provide clear reasons. Hafia also said its appeal to the CAF Appeal Committee, submitted on 16 September, had not received a response.

Hafia described the postponement of the Douanes-CR Belouizdad ties as an important step in protecting its rights while the case remains unresolved. It said the measure would ensure that any final ruling in its favour was not undermined by the competition being completed before the dispute had been settled.

The club continues to challenge CAF’s decision over the rearranged match against Douanes. Hafia maintains that Douanes’ failure to travel to Conakry on 11 September was caused by organisational problems that could have been avoided, rather than circumstances amounting to force majeure.

Douanes did not arrive for the match at the scheduled time and cited logistical reasons for its absence. The fixture was subsequently played on another date and ended in victory for Douanes.

Hafia then lodged an appeal, arguing that there had been no force majeure circumstances to justify the Mauritanian side’s failure to be present when the match was originally due to take place. As a result, the Guinean club sought legal intervention before the next stage of the CAF Confederation Cup could proceed.