The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has formally registered Senegal’s appeal against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over the stripping of their Africa Cup of Nations title, confirming in a statement from Lausanne on Wednesday that proceedings will now be handled by an independent arbitral panel.
The appeal, filed by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), is directed against both CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF). The FSF is seeking to have the CAF ruling of March 17, 2026 overturned and is requesting that Senegal be declared the rightful winners of the tournament. The federation has also asked for an immediate suspension of the deadline to submit its full appeal brief, pending the release of detailed written grounds behind CAF’s ruling.
CAS said it is not yet possible to set a procedural timetable, citing the FSF’s deadline suspension request as a key reason. “At this early stage of proceedings and considering the (Senegal federation) request to suspend deadlines, it is not possible to anticipate a procedural timeline and to indicate when a hearing will be scheduled,” the court said.
Under standard CAS procedure, once the deadline suspension is resolved, Senegal will have 20 days to file their legal arguments and CAF will then have a further 20 days to submit their statement of defence.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said the court is equipped to resolve the matter and will work as swiftly as possible. “We understand that teams and fans are eager to know the final decision,” he said, “and we will ensure that arbitration proceedings are conducted as swiftly as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing.”
As NewsGhana has previously reported, the dispute traces to the chaotic AFCON final in Rabat on January 18, when Senegal’s players walked off the pitch for approximately 15 minutes to protest a stoppage-time penalty awarded to Morocco. The referee restarted the game after the Senegal players returned, Morocco’s penalty was saved, and Senegal won 1-0 in extra time. Two months later, the CAF Appeals Board ruled that the walkoff constituted a forfeiture under Articles 82 and 84 of the tournament regulations and handed Morocco a 3-0 walkover victory.
Senegal’s legal case is expected to lean heavily on the Laws of the Game, specifically the principle that the referee’s decisions on the field are final. A precedent from an earlier African club final where CAS rebuked CAF for attempting to override a referee’s decision will likely be cited in support of the FSF’s position.
FIFA has already updated its official records in line with CAF’s verdict, registering Morocco as AFCON 2025 champions and adjusting world rankings accordingly, meaning any CAS ruling that reinstates Senegal would require further adjustments across multiple official records.
The FSF’s legal team is due to address the media on Thursday, March 26, to present the grounds for the CAS referral and outline its planned next steps.
