The battle over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title has entered a decisive stage, with Senegal challenging the decision that handed Morocco a 3-0 victory following their controversial final in Rabat, despite initially winning the match 1-0 after extra time.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) heard Senegal’s appeal in Lausanne, Switzerland, on October 8, with the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) seeking to overturn the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeal Board’s ruling and be reinstated as champions.
According to Cameroonian sports journalist Signe Naha, who reported on the arguments presented during the October 8 hearing in Lausanne, Senegal’s legal challenge centres on the interpretation of Article 82 of the AFCON regulations, the proportionality of the punishment and concerns over the procedure followed by CAF.
Represented by lawyer Me Yassine Maharsi, Senegal argues that the players’ 4 minutes, 12 seconds temporary departure from the pitch in protest against a late penalty awarded to Morocco did not constitute definitive abandonment. The referee never blew the Final Whistle, The players returned, Brahim Diaz took and missed the penalty, and the match continued into extra time, where Pape Gueye scored Senegal’s winner.
“You can’t be Forfeited and be the winner on the pitch at the same time ” Me Yassine Maharsi.
The FSF maintains that CAF applied the wrong provision by invoking Article 82, which deals with abandonment and forfeiture. Senegal argues that the incident should instead have been treated as unsporting conduct under Article 84, attracting disciplinary sanctions rather than the loss of the title. It also questions the proportionality of awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory after the match resumed and was completed.
The federation has further raised procedural concerns over the initial ruling, arguing that the decision announced on March 17 did not provide sufficient written reasoning. It has also questioned the impartiality of the proceedings, although these allegations remain contested and have not been established as findings by CAS.
Senegal’s position is that the original result should stand, with the country declared champions following its 1-0 victory on the pitch.
Morocco’s Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), alongside CAF, is defending the decision by relying on the wording of Article 82. Their position is that leaving the pitch before the final whistle without the referee’s authorisation constitutes an offence that warrants forfeiture, regardless of whether the players later return.
The opposing argument is that allowing a team to leave the field in protest without forfeiting a match could undermine discipline and set an undesirable precedent in international football. Morocco and CAF are therefore seeking to have the 3-0 decision upheld and Morocco’s championship status confirmed.
The dispute follows the January 18 final, in which Senegal’s players temporarily left the field after Morocco were awarded a late penalty. Senegal returned, Brahim Diaz missed the spot-kick, and Gueye subsequently scored in extra time to secure what appeared to be a 1-0 victory.
However, CAF’s Appeal Board overturned the result in March, declaring Senegal to have forfeited the match and awarding Morocco a 3-0 win. The FSF subsequently lodged an appeal with CAS, requesting that the decision be set aside and Senegal recognized as champions.
The federation had also asked for the deadline to submit its full appeal brief to be paused until CAF provides the complete written grounds for its ruling which they now posses and tabled at CAS adding another dimension to the legal dispute.
The verdict is expected between October 18 and 22, according to reports from Senegalese media, following the October 8 hearing in Lausanne. While CAS has indicated that a reasoned decision will be delivered within days, the court has not publicly confirmed a specific date within that reported window.
