FEATURE: Morocco-Senegal dispute is far more complex than it appears – Possible CAS outcome

The contentious 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Morocco and Senegal continues to spark debate, with international sports lawyer Ralph Charbel describing the case as “more complicated than it seems” and offering his prediction for the ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Senegal initially won the final in Rabat over two months ago, securing a 1-0 victory thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Pape Gueye. The match, however, was marred by controversy when Congolese referee Jean Dac Ndala awarded a penalty to Morocco in the dying moments.

Senegalese players protested the decision, temporarily withdrawing from the field for several minutes before returning to complete the game and claim the win.

Following Senegal’s victory, the Moroccan Football Federation lodged an appeal with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which resulted in a ruling awarding Morocco a 3-0 administrative victory due to Senegal’s temporary withdrawal.

This decision effectively recognised Morocco as the winners by default, though it did not explicitly strip Senegal of the title.

Senegal, however, challenged the CAF Appeals Committee’s decision, taking the case to CAS, extending what is now considered one of the most controversial episodes in African football history.

The Legal Arguments and Controversy

Seydou Diagne, representing the Senegalese Football Federation, highlighted the ambiguity surrounding CAF’s decision at a press conference in Paris. He explained that while CAF recognised Morocco’s administrative victory (3-0) and treated Senegal as having temporarily withdrawn, the committee did not formally withdraw the AFCON title from Senegal or award it to Morocco.

Diagne outlined Morocco’s four demands: declare Senegal as withdrawn, grant Morocco a 3-0 administrative win, withdraw the title from Senegal, and reclaim all associated prizes, including the cup, medals, and financial rewards.

According to him, CAF only approved the first two, rejecting the demands related to stripping Senegal of the title and recovering prizes.

Charbel, speaking to Kooora, noted the nuance in the ruling.

“It is true that the decision issued by the CAF Appeals Committee mentioned a 3-0 result in favor of Morocco without explicitly crowning Morocco as champion, but Senegal’s loss in the final effectively translates to Morocco winning the continental title. There is no other plausible interpretation,” he said.

Complexity Beyond the Headlines

The case, Charbel added, is intricate, containing details not visible to the public. He also addressed CAF’s recent reforms: the African Union announced on Sunday that it had introduced changes to its statutes and regulations aimed at improving transparency and trust in its judicial bodies, including Disciplinary and Appeals Committees, in an effort to prevent controversies similar to the 2025 AFCON final.

Asked whether these reforms could be seen as an implicit admission that CAF’s previous committees mishandled the regulations, Charbel was clear.

He said, “There is no doubt there are questions regarding the committee’s formation and decision-making process, but CAF’s official statement cannot be interpreted as an implicit admission of unfair application of the regulations.”

Charbel further emphasised the complexity and opacity of the file.

“It is certain that the file is very complex, and it contains details that the public has not seen. The CAS ruling will have to consider these nuances carefully, and it may set a precedent for how similar disputes are handled in African football in the future,” he added.