Senegal’s bid to have its Africa Cup of Nations title reinstated after a chaotic final against hosts Morocco will go before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 8 October in Lausanne.
World sport’s highest judicial body confirmed that the appeal over the controversial Rabat showpiece, played on 18 January, will be heard behind closed doors at its Swiss headquarters, with no timetable set for when a ruling will be delivered.
CAS underlined on Friday that “at this stage, CAS cannot state when a final decision will be rendered, but it will not be on the day of the hearing,” indicating the dispute could take months to resolve and prolonging a saga that has dominated African football and spilled into political debate.
The case centres on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeal verdict which stripped Senegal of the Afcon crown it had won on the pitch and awarded the trophy to Morocco, after judges decided Senegal had effectively defaulted the match by briefly refusing to continue playing.
Senegal had beaten Morocco 1-0 after extra time in what had initially been hailed as an extraordinary Afcon final, only for the result to be overturned weeks later by CAF’s appeal body.
CAF ruling at heart of dispute
The CAF decision in March drew sharp criticism across the continent, with many observers accusing the federation of disregarding the game’s own rulebook.
Football’s Laws of the Game state that decisions taken by the referee during a match are final. However, CAF’s appeal judges based their ruling on a specific tournament regulation, which says that any team refusing to play “shall be eliminated for good from the current competition”.
Senegal’s players did leave the field in protest, but only for several minutes, and returned to complete the game. The temporary walk-off did not lead the referee to abandon the final, which ultimately ran its full course through extra time.
Nonetheless, CAF’s judicial bodies concluded that Senegal’s actions amounted to a refusal to play and retroactively awarded the title to Morocco, igniting controversy and reinforcing perceptions among some that Morocco wields growing political influence within international football as it prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
Final marred by stoppage-time chaos
The turmoil in Rabat began deep into stoppage time at the end of the 90 minutes, with the score still 0-0.
Senegal thought they had snatched victory when the ball was put in the net, only for the goal to be ruled out in added time. Minutes later, Morocco were awarded a penalty, triggering fury among the Senegal players.
In protest at the decision, the Senegal team walked off the pitch, causing a 15-minute delay. When play eventually resumed, the spot-kick itself produced one of the final’s most memorable moments.
Forward Brahim Diaz attempted a soft, lofted “Panenka” finish, but Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy did not commit, standing tall to catch the tame effort with ease. That miss ensured the match went to extra time, where Senegal eventually found the decisive goal to claim what they believed was a historic Afcon triumph.
Sadio Mane’s role and crowd trouble
Amid the uproar over the penalty award, it was Senegal star Sadio Mane who was widely credited with helping to calm his team-mates and convince them to return to the field to finish the match.
His intervention is understood to have been crucial in preventing the final from being abandoned in front of a volatile crowd, as tempers flared in the stands and Moroccan police confronted Senegal supporters.
The disturbances led to a number of arrests. The fallout continued well beyond the tournament, and in May Morocco’s King Mohammed VI issued a royal pardon to 18 Senegal fans who had received prison sentences of up to a year over their involvement in the clashes.
World Cup backdrop
Preparation for Senegal’s CAS appeal has been running in parallel with a busy international calendar.
While legal teams assembled their arguments, Morocco went on to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, underlining their status as one of Africa’s strongest sides.
Senegal, by contrast, suffered a painful exit in the round of 32, losing to Belgium after having led 2-0 late in the game, a collapse that stunned their supporters and added to a turbulent year for the reigning African champions on the field and off it.
All eyes on Lausanne
The panel of CAS arbitrators will now be asked to weigh CAF’s tournament regulations against the sport’s universal laws and the specific events of that night in Rabat.
Given the sensitivity of the case, and its implications for how disciplinary rules are applied in major competitions, the hearing and eventual verdict are expected to be closely scrutinised within African football and beyond.
Until CAS delivers its judgment, Morocco officially remain Afcon champions, while Senegal continue to contest a decision they believe cost them a title they had legitimately secured on the pitch.
