Senegal and Morocco case over CAN 2025 final reaches CAS hearing

The dispute over the CAN 2025 final enters a new phase on Thursday, 8 October, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hears representatives of Senegal, Morocco and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Lausanne.

The hearing follows several months of written proceedings and concerns the Senegalese Football Federation’s challenge against the decision that awarded the title to Morocco by default.

Proceedings were due to begin at 09:30 local time in Lausanne (GMT+2) at the CAS headquarters and are expected to continue into the afternoon.

The hearing is being held behind closed doors, meaning the media will not be allowed to attend the discussions between the parties and the arbitration panel.

The case will be considered by a three-member panel chaired by France’s Gerald Simon, alongside Italy’s Luigi Fumagalli and Germany’s Ulrich Haas. The proceedings will be conducted in French.

Senegal will have the opportunity to present its arguments against the decision that stripped it of the result achieved on the pitch in the CAN 2025 final.

The panel is expected to examine the events that took place at the end of the match, including the temporary departure of Senegal’s players, their return to the pitch and the resumption of the game under the authority of referee Jean-Jacques Ndala.

The interpretation of Articles 82 and 84 of the CAN regulations will also be central to the case. In particular, the CAS will consider whether CAF had the authority to alter the sporting result of the match retrospectively.

The three arbitrators may put questions directly to representatives of the parties. Witnesses and experts identified during the written submissions may also be called to give evidence.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the parties will make their final observations, with the defending party heard last.

Decision not expected immediately

Despite the significance of Thursday’s hearing, the CAS is not expected to issue a ruling straight away.

Once the proceedings have ended, the three arbitrators will withdraw to deliberate. The CAS has not yet announced when its final decision will be delivered.

Several outcomes remain possible. The panel could uphold CAF’s decision and confirm Morocco as champions, rule in Senegal’s favour and validate the result recorded on the pitch, or cancel the contested decision and refer the case back to the competent authority.

Thursday’s hearing is therefore an important stage in the dispute, but it will not bring the proceedings to an immediate conclusion. The CAS must first assess the arguments and evidence presented by all sides before delivering its ruling in the sensitive case involving African football.