The Moroccan defence produced a new development at Thursday’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland, claiming that a second report was prepared by the referee of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
Lawyers representing the Confederation of African Football (CAF) rejected the claim during the closed hearing, which is considering the Senegal Football Federation’s appeal against the decision to remove Senegal’s title and award the match to Morocco.
Although the proceedings were held away from the public and media, details emerged from inside the hearing. Senegalese outlet Sene News reported information from a source who was present in Lausanne.
According to the source, Morocco’s legal team referred to an alleged additional report written by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, who officiated the final. The document is said to contain further details intended to supplement the official report submitted after the match.
The nature and contents of the alleged report have not been disclosed. It is also unclear whether it exists in a form that could be accepted as part of the case file. However, its mention prompted an immediate response from CAF’s lawyers.
The exchange created a notable disagreement between CAF and Morocco, despite both being on the same side in opposing the challenge brought by the Senegal Football Federation.
The referee’s report is regarded as an important document in the dispute because it relates directly to the events during the Africa Cup of Nations final. CAF relied on the match evidence when it decided to strip Senegal of the title and record the final as a victory for Morocco.
CAS confirmed that the hearing took place behind closed doors at the request of the parties involved. No supporters or media representatives were allowed to attend.
The hearing has now ended, and the three-member panel of European arbitrators is expected to begin its deliberations. CAS said it could not provide a precise date for the verdict, but confirmed that a decision would not be issued on Thursday.