LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed receipt of an appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation challenging the decision by the Confederation of African Football to award the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco.
CAS said the appeal was officially registered on March 25, 2026, with Senegal seeking to overturn CAF’s ruling and be reinstated as AFCON 2025 champions.
The dispute stems from the final played on January 18 in Rabat, where Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 after extra time. However, CAF’s Appeals Committee later annulled the result and awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory.
CAF ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match after its players allegedly refused to continue play following a stoppage-time penalty awarded to Morocco—an action deemed a breach of tournament regulations.
The decision also came with additional sanctions, including fines and suspensions linked to match incidents, among them misconduct involving Moroccan midfielder Ismaël Saibari, VAR-related controversies, and a reported laser pointer incident.
The FSF has strongly rejected CAF’s decision, describing it as unfair and unprecedented, and says it is determined to defend what it considers a legitimate victory.
On its part, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation maintains that its protest was grounded in competition rules and not a challenge to Senegal’s performance, calling for strict adherence to regulations.
With the matter now before CAS, the fate of the AFCON 2025 title will be determined through legal arbitration, setting up one of the most contentious disputes in the tournament’s history.
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