**Court of Arbitration for Sport Schedules Hearing on Senegal’s AFCON Title Appeal**
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Friday that it will hear the Senegal Football Federation’s (FSF) appeal concerning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final on 8 October. The hearing will be conducted behind closed doors at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The appeal challenges a decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that overturned the result of the final played on 18 January in Rabat, Morocco. In that match, Senegal initially secured a 1‑0 victory after Pape Gueye scored in extra time. However, the game was disrupted in the final minutes of regular time when several Senegal players left the field in protest after a penalty was awarded to Morocco while the score remained level. The incident was accompanied by a brief pitch invasion by some Senegalese supporters, causing a delay of approximately 20 minutes before play resumed.
In March, CAF rescinded Senegal’s win and awarded Morocco a 3‑0 victory, thereby declaring the Moroccan national team the champions of AFCON 2025. The FSF filed its appeal with CAS on 25 March 2026, seeking to have the CAF ruling set aside and to have Senegal recognized as the tournament winners.
In a statement, CAS confirmed that the hearing will address the procedural dispute between the FSF, CAF, and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) regarding the final. The tribunal noted that a final decision will not be issued on the day of the hearing, but did not specify a later date for the ruling.
The case follows a highly contentious conclusion to the tournament and raises questions about the governance of disciplinary actions in African football. The outcome of the CAS hearing will determine whether Senegal’s original victory stands or if Morocco’s title, as awarded by CAF, remains in force.
Article and image source: allafrica.com
