Morocco v Senegal: CAS hearing will not necessarily settle AFCON title dispute

The Court of Arbitration for Sport will hear Senegal’s appeal against the decision to award Morocco the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title on Thursday, but a ruling is not expected automatically on the same day.

The case will be considered in Lausanne, almost nine months after the disputed final that led to the legal challenge. The Senegalese Football Federation has appealed against both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Moroccan Football Federation.

The hearing will take place behind closed doors. Once both sides have presented their arguments, the arbitrators will begin their deliberations. No timetable has been given for the verdict, meaning the identity of the 2025 African champions may remain unresolved after Thursday.

The dispute centres on events during the final in Rabat on 18 January. Senegal’s players temporarily left the pitch after Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, prompting a furious reaction from the Lions. They later returned to the field after Sadio Mane’s intervention.

Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, before Pape Gueye scored in extra time to give Senegal a 1-0 victory.

However, on 17 March, the CAF Appeal Jury ruled that Senegal’s temporary withdrawal amounted to a forfeit under Article 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations. The result was subsequently changed to a 3-0 victory for Morocco, who were awarded the title.

Senegal is asking CAS to overturn that ruling and restore the result recorded on the pitch, which would return the championship to them.

The central legal issue is whether a team can be declared to have forfeited a match after returning to the field and completing the game with the agreement of the match officials.

Morocco is expected to argue that the regulations must be applied strictly. In its view, leaving the pitch without permission must carry consequences, even if play later resumes.

Senegal is likely to focus on the fact that there was no definitive abandonment, that the match was restarted and completed, and that the original result had initially been officially recognised.

CAS can either uphold the CAF decision or cancel it. The appeal does not cover the individual suspensions imposed after the incidents surrounding the final.

The judgment could have significance beyond the identity of the champions. It may establish how football authorities should treat collective protests, and what legal status should be given to a match that is completed after one team has temporarily left the pitch.

The ruling will also have implications for CAF’s credibility after the images from the final and the series of decisions that followed.

Morocco and Senegal finished playing almost nine months ago. But the dispute over who won the title is still not legally over.