Senegal CAS Appeal Against CAF’s AFCON 2025 Ruling

Senegal has formally appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) challenging the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to award the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title to Morocco following the disputed final. The appeal, lodged with the Swiss-based tribunal, seeks to overturn CAF’s ruling and reinstate Senegal as champions.

The incident stems from the January final, where Senegal players temporarily walked off the pitch in protest against a penalty awarded to Morocco. After a delay of approximately 15 minutes, the players returned and later lost the match 1-0 after extra time. CAF’s Appeal Board subsequently ruled that Senegal’s initial protest constituted a refusal to play, invoking a tournament regulation that deems any team leaving the field before full-time the loser, thus awarding the title to Morocco.

Senegal’s Football Association President, Abdoulaye Fall, has vowed a vigorous legal fight, describing the CAF decision as a “grossly unfair administrative robbery” and a betrayal of the team’s honour. A legal team comprising international lawyers from Switzerland, Spain, France, and Senegal has been assembled to present the case. The team maintains that Senegal still considers itself the rightful champion.

The core of the dispute centres on the application of CAF’s competition rules versus the principles of football governance. While the Laws of the Game mandate that a referee’s on-field decisions are final, CAF’s specific tournament regulations empower its disciplinary bodies to sanction teams for failing to complete a match. Senegal’s argument is expected to challenge the proportionality and correct application of that rule in these particular circumstances.

A CAS hearing date is yet to be set, a process that commonly takes several months. Following the hearing, a verdict may take additional weeks or months. The outcome will carry significant implications for African football, potentially setting a precedent on how governing bodies handle player protests and match forfeitures in high-stakes tournaments.

The appeal prolongs a contentious episode in African football and underscores ongoing tensions between national associations and continental governing bodies over match integrity and disciplinary authority. A final ruling from CAS will determine the official champion of AFCON 2025 and clarify the binding nature of CAF’s competition regulations.