Morocco-Senegal AFCON final dispute: CAS verdict unlikely today or tomorrow

Morocco and Senegal will have to wait beyond Thursday for a final ruling on their disputed 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) held a hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The case, which has become one of the most significant disputes in recent African football, was heard by a three-member CAS panel after representatives of Morocco, Senegal and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeared with their legal teams.

CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said a decision was not expected immediately, meaning supporters in both countries and across the continent face a further wait to learn who will ultimately be recognised as the winner of the tournament.

“I don’t think it will be today, nor tomorrow. I’m fairly sure of that,” Reeb told reporters ahead of the hearing, according to RMC Sport.

Verdict could take days or weeks

Reeb said the timing of the decision would depend partly on the complexity of the case and whether the arbitrators needed to prepare a detailed ruling explaining the legal reasoning behind their decision.

“But it should take a few days or even a few weeks if the arbitrators want to write a complete decision with the legal reasoning,” he said.

The hearing began at about 09:30 local time and was expected to continue into the afternoon. Reeb said the schedule had been agreed by all parties and that proceedings were expected to finish between 15:00 and 16:00.

“The hearing has started with representatives of all the parties, Senegal, Morocco and CAF. All parties are represented by lawyers,” he said.

“The hearing day should take us until 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. I do not think we will go beyond 4 p.m.”

The panel considering the case consists of French professor Gérald Simon, German professor Ulrich Haas and Italian professor Luigi Fumagalli.

Dispute stems from controversial AFCON final

The legal battle centres on the 2025 AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal, which was disrupted after Senegal’s players left the pitch for several minutes before returning to complete the match.

Morocco subsequently challenged the outcome through CAF’s legal process. In March, the relevant CAF body ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match, but that decision did not finally determine the identity of the tournament winner.

The dispute was then taken to CAS, which has now been asked to make the final determination.

The case has attracted considerable attention in Africa because of the standing of both nations in continental football and the significance of the AFCON title.

African fans await final answer

Reeb acknowledged that the prolonged legal process had tested the patience of supporters in Morocco and Senegal, as well as football followers elsewhere on the continent.

“I know that the wait for Moroccan and Senegalese supporters, as well as for all African fans, has been very long,” he said.

CAS says it wants to bring the matter to a conclusion as soon as possible.

“Our objective is to issue a decision as quickly as possible after the hearing,” Reeb said.

Thursday’s hearing will not bring an immediate conclusion to the dispute. Morocco, Senegal and CAF must wait for the panel’s ruling, which could arrive within days, while a fully reasoned decision may take several weeks.