CAS schedules hearing on Senegal's appeal over stripped African championship title
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hold a hearing in Lausanne on 8 October 2026 concerning the appeal filed by the Senegalese Football Federation against the decision that subsequently changed the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final to a 3-0 victory for Morocco. On 24 July, CAS confirmed that the proceedings would take place at its headquarters, behind closed doors, with the opposing parties in the case being the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. Senegal is seeking the annulment of the CAF Appeal Board's decision of 17 March and recognition of the Senegalese Football Federation as the winner of the competition. The court did not announce when it would issue its award, but expressly stated that the final decision would not be delivered on the day of the hearing.
The case concerns one of the most unusual finals in the history of African international football. On 18 January 2026, Senegal defeated host nation Morocco 1-0 after extra time on the field at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. Pape Gueye scored the only goal at the beginning of the first period of extra time, after the regular 90 minutes had ended goalless. However, the closing stages of the match were marked by the temporary departure of most of the Senegalese team from the field in protest against a penalty awarded to Morocco in stoppage time. The team returned, the match resumed, Brahim Díaz failed to convert the penalty, and Senegal then secured a victory in extra time that was initially confirmed on the field and in the competition's official reports.
Hearing on 8 October without public attendance
According to the official CAS statement, the Senegalese Football Federation's appeal was received on 25 March 2026, eight days after the decision of the CAF Appeal Board. The parties did not agree to an expedited procedure, so the case is proceeding according to CAS's regular procedural timetable. The hearing date was determined after consultation with all parties, and none of them requested that the hearing be public. Consequently, the arguments of Senegal, CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation will be presented before the arbitral panel without spectators or media representatives.
CAS also emphasised that the panel would begin its deliberations only after the hearing. It is currently impossible to determine the date on which the final decision will be published, and the court also warned about inaccurate information that had appeared online concerning the case. Only CAS publications should be considered official, the Lausanne-based institution stated. Such a remark demonstrates how much attention the dispute has attracted beyond the usual confines of sports law, primarily because the decision concerns not only a disciplinary sanction but also which national team will officially be recorded as African champion.
In its initial announcement concerning the registration of the appeal, CAS stated that the CAF decision of 17 March had initially been communicated only in its operative form, without the complete reasoning. Senegal therefore requested a temporary suspension of the deadline for filing its detailed appeal brief until it received the full grounds for the decision. Under CAS procedural rules, an appellant generally has twenty days to submit the grounds of appeal, after which the respondent parties are given a deadline to reply. Because the contents of the submissions and evidence have not been made public, it is not possible to state in advance which legal and factual arguments the panel will consider decisive.
How the final ended with Senegal's victory on the field
The Africa Cup of Nations carried the designation of the 2025 edition, although the tournament in Morocco was held from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. Host nation Morocco and Senegal met in the final, with Senegal attempting to win its second continental title following its success in the 2021 edition. In its report immediately after the match, CAF announced that Senegal had become champion with a 1-0 victory after extra time. The decisive goal was credited to Pape Gueye, who beat the Moroccan defence with a powerful left-footed strike early in extra time.
Before that, a series of controversial and chaotic moments had occurred. Senegal had a goal disallowed for a foul in stoppage time, and several minutes later the referee awarded Morocco a penalty following an intervention by the video review system. An Associated Press report stated that the Senegalese players, led by head coach Pape Thiaw, left the field for approximately fifteen minutes. According to the same source, Sadio Mané subsequently took part in persuading his teammates to return and finish the match. After play resumed, Brahim Díaz attempted to take the penalty with a slow shot down the middle, but goalkeeper Édouard Mendy saved his effort.
The fact that the match resumed and was completed became the central issue in the subsequent legal dispute. Senegal relies on the result achieved after returning to the field, while the Moroccan appeal was based on the claim that the act of leaving the pitch itself triggered the provisions governing refusal to continue the match and forfeiture. Publicly available documents do not reveal how each party before CAS will interpret the referee's authority, the meaning of the temporary departure from the field and the relationship between the result confirmed after the end of the match and the competition's disciplinary rules. The distinction between these issues will be crucial to determining the final status of the match.
First-instance body rejected Morocco's protest
On 28 January, the CAF Disciplinary Board published its decisions concerning the incidents in the final. The board sanctioned both federations, several players and the Senegalese head coach, but at the same time rejected the protest filed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations. The 1-0 result therefore remained unchanged at first instance, although the conduct of the participants, the interruption and incidents around the field resulted in extensive disciplinary measures.
Pape Thiaw was suspended for five official CAF matches and fined 100,000 US dollars for unsporting conduct and bringing football into disrepute. Senegalese players Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr each received two-match suspensions for their conduct towards the referee. The Senegalese federation was fined a total of 615,000 dollars: 300,000 for the conduct of supporters, an additional 300,000 for the conduct of the players and technical staff, and 15,000 because five players had been cautioned. These sanctions were separate from the question of the final result of the match.
Sanctions were also imposed on the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and its players. Achraf Hakimi was suspended for two matches, one of which was suspended, while Ismaël Saibari initially received a three-match suspension and a fine of 100,000 dollars. The Moroccan federation was fined 200,000 dollars for the conduct of the ball boys, 100,000 dollars for obstructing the video review area and 15,000 dollars for the use of lasers from the stands. The Disciplinary Board thus found responsibility on both sides but did not accept the request for Senegal to be declared defeated by an official score.
CAF Appeal Board overturns the original decision
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation appealed against the Disciplinary Board's decision, and on 17 March the CAF Appeal Board accepted the key part of its request. The board overturned the first-instance decision insofar as it concerned the protest over leaving the field, found that the conduct of the Senegalese team fell within Articles 82 and 84 of the regulations and registered the match as a 3-0 victory for Morocco. It rejected all other requests connected with that part of the dispute.
Article 82 of the CAF regulations provides that a team that refuses to play or leaves the field before the regular end of the match without the referee's permission shall be considered defeated and permanently eliminated from the ongoing competition. Article 84 provides that a team breaching those provisions loses the match 3-0, unless the opposing team had already achieved a more favourable result at the time of the interruption. The Appeal Board gave those provisions precedence over the fact that the Senegalese players had returned, continued the match and won after extra time.
The same decision also partially modified several sanctions imposed on Morocco. Saibari's suspension was reduced to two official CAF matches, one of which was suspended, and his 100,000-dollar fine was annulled. The Moroccan federation's fine for the conduct of the ball boys was reduced to 50,000 dollars, the 100,000-dollar fine for obstructing the VAR area remained in force, while the fine for the lasers was reduced to 10,000 dollars. These parts of the decision show that the Appeal Board considered several separate incidents, but it was the reversal of the result and the status of the champion that attracted international attention.
What CAS can decide
Under Article R57 of the current Code of Sports-related Arbitration, the CAS panel has full authority to review the facts and the law. It may issue a new decision replacing the challenged decision or annul it and refer the case back to the body that decided it at the previous instance. This means that the proceedings are not limited solely to reviewing formal errors by the CAF Appeal Board, as the arbitrators may consider the broader factual and legal framework within the limits of the appeal.
In practical terms, CAS may dismiss the appeal and uphold the 3-0 result for Morocco, accept Senegal's request and annul the CAF decision, or choose another procedural solution permitted by the rules, including referring the case back for reconsideration. It is not possible to determine in advance which outcome is more likely because the complete case file, the CAF reasoning, the appeal brief and the respondents' replies are not public. CAS has confirmed only the subject of the appeal and Senegal's request to be declared the winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
A CAS award is generally final and binding on the parties, with only very limited possibilities of challenge under Swiss law. The arbitral panel's decision will therefore have a decisive effect on the competition's official records. The issue will not be who scored the only goal on the field or how the match ended after it resumed, but the legal effect of Senegal's temporary departure from the pitch and the lawfulness of the subsequent application of the forfeiture penalty.
A dispute that extends beyond a single final
This case raises the broader question of the relationship between the referee's authority during a match and the subsequent jurisdiction of the disciplinary and appeal bodies of sports organisations. After the interruption, the match resumed and was completed, and the winner was initially declared on the basis of the score after extra time. On the other hand, the CAF regulations contain express consequences for a team that leaves the field before the end without the referee's permission. CAS will have to assess how those two levels of rules apply to the specific events in Rabat.
The issue of procedural consistency will also be important. The Disciplinary Board initially rejected Morocco's protest, while the Appeal Board reversed that part of the decision several weeks later and registered a forfeiture. In the proceedings before CAS, Senegal requested the complete annulment of the later decision, and the problem of the delivery of its full reasoning was specifically highlighted when the appeal was registered. Nevertheless, without the published submissions, it would not be justified to claim that the dispute will be reduced solely to procedural matters; under CAS rules, the panel may reassess both the facts and the legal provisions.
The decision will have lasting consequences for the official history of the Africa Cup of Nations. Senegal celebrated its second continental title on the field, while CAF's subsequent decision changed the official result to 3-0 for Morocco, which would also make it Morocco's second African title following its victory in 1976. Until the CAS award, the CAF Appeal Board's decision remains in force, but the final international arbitral answer is not yet known. The hearing on 8 October will therefore be not merely a continuation of the disciplinary proceedings, but a crucial international arbitration stage in a dispute that changed the outcome of the final several weeks after the referee's final whistle.
Sources:
- Court of Arbitration for Sport - statement of 24 July 2026 concerning the date, location and closed nature of the hearing (link)
- Court of Arbitration for Sport - statement concerning the registration of the Senegalese Football Federation's appeal on 25 March 2026 (link)
- CAF - Appeal Board decision of 17 March 2026 concerning the forfeiture of the match and the 3-0 result for Morocco (link)
- CAF - Disciplinary Board decisions of 28 January 2026 concerning the sanctions and the initial rejection of Morocco's protest (link)
- CAF - official overview of the host nation, schedule and dates of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco (link)
- CAF - official report on the Senegal-Morocco final and the information concerning Pape Gueye's goal in extra time (link)
- CAF - Africa Cup of Nations regulations, including Articles 82 and 84 concerning leaving the field and the official 3-0 result (link)
- Court of Arbitration for Sport - 2025 Code of Sports-related Arbitration, particularly Article R57 concerning the powers of the arbitral panel (link)
- Associated Press - chronology of the closing stages of the final, Senegal's temporary departure, the missed penalty and the subsequent reversal of the decision (link)