Morocco Protests CAF Sanctions at the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Tensions remain high between Morocco and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following the country’s refusal to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations due to the Ebola outbreak. In response to CAF’s heavy sanctions—including exclusion from the 2017 and 2019 AFCON tournaments and a fine of nearly €9 million—Moroccan officials have taken the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Morocco strongly criticized CAF’s handling of the situation, particularly the decision to appoint Hichem Omrani, a fellow Moroccan, as the CAF legal representative during the arbitration process. According to Moroccan leaders, this move represented a clear conflict of interest and undermined the fairness of the proceedings.
The CAS ruling on Morocco’s appeal is expected in the coming weeks, and the outcome could have significant implications not only for Morocco’s participation in future tournaments, but also for the governance practices within CAF.
