The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing involving Morocco, Senegal and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ended around 15 minutes earlier than expected on Thursday, with no indication of when the panel will issue its ruling.
The hearing began in the morning at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, with representatives of all three parties present. It concluded in the afternoon, before the 15:00 local time finish previously outlined by CAS director general Matthieu Reeb.
That was 16:00 in Mecca and 13:00 in Rabat.
The early conclusion, reported by French broadcaster RMC, is not considered a sign of how the three-member arbitration panel will decide the case. The dispute concerns an appeal relating to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
The uncertainty surrounding the case therefore remains, with the final outcome dependent on the panel’s official judgment.
Moroccan representatives make no comment
According to RMC, representatives of Morocco left the CAS premises after the hearing without speaking to the media.
Abdoulaye Sow, secretary general of the Senegalese Football Federation, did offer a brief assessment, saying: “Senegal defended itself well.”
All possible outcomes remain open until the ruling is formally announced.
The timing of the decision is also uncertain. In an earlier statement issued by CAS on 30 September, and in comments made by Reeb on Thursday morning, the court indicated that a ruling was not expected immediately after the hearing.
Reeb said the arbitration panel would need time to examine the case and prepare its decision, including the legal reasoning behind it.
“Our aim is to issue the decision as quickly as possible after the hearing,” he said.
“I do not think the decision will be issued today or tomorrow, and I am almost certain of that. However, it could take a few days or even a few weeks if the arbitrators want to prepare a complete decision setting out the legal reasons.”
The case will therefore remain unresolved until the three arbitrators complete their review and publish the court’s final judgment.
