The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed receipt of an appeal by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) challenging the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decision to award the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title to Morocco.
In a statement released Wednesday, CAS said Senegal is seeking to overturn the ruling and be recognised as the rightful winner of the tournament. Also, the country’s football body requested a suspension of the deadline for filing its full appeal brief until CAF provides detailed grounds for its decision, which was initially issued without explanation.
CAS said an arbitral panel will be constituted to hear the case, after which a procedural timetable will be set. Under its rules, the appellant has 20 days to file detailed arguments, while the respondents have another 20 days to respond. However, no timeline has been fixed due to Senegal’s request to suspend proceedings.
CAS Director General, Matthieu Reeb, said the body is equipped to resolve the dispute swiftly while ensuring fairness to all parties. “CAS is perfectly equipped to resolve this type of dispute, with the assistance of expert and independent arbitrators. We understand that teams and fans are eager to know the final decision, and we will ensure that arbitration proceedings are conducted as swiftly as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing,” the statement read.
The appeal follows CAF’s March 17 ruling, which upheld Morocco’s protest and declared that Senegal forfeited the AFCON final, awarding the match 3–0 to Morocco.
Senegal had initially won the final 1–0 on January 18 through an extra-time goal, but the match was later overshadowed by controversy after Senegalese players staged a 15-minute walk-off in protest against a late penalty awarded to Morocco.
CAF’s decision overturned an earlier ruling by its Disciplinary Board, with the Appeals Board stating that Morocco’s protest was admissible and that Senegal’s right to be heard had not been fully respected in the initial proceedings.
Reacting, the FSF described the decision as “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable”, adding that it undermines the integrity of African football. The federation confirmed it would approach CAS to defend its position.
CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, said Senegal is within its rights to challenge the decision, noting that all 54 member associations can seek redress, including at CAS.
In a video released on March 19, Motsepe said, “And I’m told that Senegal is going to appeal, which is very important. Every one of the 54 nations in Africa has a right to pursue their appeals and advance their interests, not only at the highest level in Africa, in CAF, but also at the highest body, which is the Court of Arbitration for Sport. And we will adhere to and respect the decision that’s taken at the highest level.”
Meanwhile, Morocco’s head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, welcomed the ruling, describing CAF’s decision to award the title to his team as “well-deserved.”
He said, “First of all, I would like to congratulate all Moroccans, the staff, the players and the federation on the good news we got two days ago, which is well-deserved,” said Ouahbi during the presentation of his first squad list for Morocco’s next two friendly matches against Ecuador and Paraguay.
This decision “pleases everyone”, added the 49-year-old who replaced Walid Regragui earlier this month, partly because of the former manager’s failure to win the Africa Cup of Nations.
