CAS expects decision within days after hearing Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations appeal

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concluded a closed-door hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday, October 8, over Senegal’s appeal against the decision to award Morocco the Africa Cup of Nations title. CAS director general Matthieu Reeb said he expected a decision within days, although he gave no date. The ruling will determine whether the decision that overturned Senegal’s victory in January’s final stands.

Senegal won the final 1-0 after extra time in Rabat, but the Confederation of African Football (CAF) later recorded a 3-0 victory for Morocco. CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match when its players left the pitch during a dispute over a late penalty. Senegal is asking CAS to set that decision aside and declare it the winner.

Why Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations result was overturned

The January 18 final was interrupted late in regulation time after a penalty was awarded against Senegal. Senegal’s players left the field for about 14 minutes, with several going to the dressing room, before they returned and play resumed. Morocco missed the penalty. The match went to extra time, when Senegal scored the only goal.

That sequence left the match result and the tournament title pointing in different directions after CAF’s subsequent ruling. Roughly two months after the final, CAF’s Appeal Board decided that leaving the field amounted to a forfeiture. It replaced Senegal’s 1-0 win with a 3-0 result for Morocco, making the host nation the champion under that decision. Senegal then took the dispute to sport’s highest arbitration court.

What CAS heard in Lausanne

Lawyers representing the parties presented their arguments at Thursday’s hearing, which was held behind closed doors. The case involves Senegal’s federation, CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The panel was chaired by French sports law expert Gerald Simon, with Italian international law professor Luigi Fumagalli and University of Zurich law professor Ulrich Haas serving alongside him.

A Reuters report published by TimesLIVE described the interpretation of tournament rules as a central issue. The rules it cited say a team that leaves the field before the regular end of a match without the referee’s authorization is considered to have lost and is eliminated. Reuters reported that Senegal was expected to argue its temporary departure did not amount to abandoning the match, while Morocco was expected to argue that even a temporary unauthorized departure triggered the rule.

Those were reported expectations ahead of the hearing, rather than a public account of everything the lawyers said behind closed doors. Reeb told reporters after the hearing that the facts were clear and that the discussion concerned procedural and legal issues. The court’s eventual reasoning will show how the panel applies the rules to the interruption and resumed final.

When the CAS ruling is expected

Reeb said CAS aimed to provide a reasoned award as soon as possible after the hearing. He expected the decision a few days later, rather than on Thursday or Friday, but gave no definite date. He also said the timetable and procedural calendar had been established with the parties’ agreement, acknowledging the wait for supporters since the final.

Senegal’s general secretary, Abdoulaye Sow, said outside the hearing that the federation was confident. He said the important point was for sports law to be upheld and for the match to be settled in the interests of dignity and Africa. Reuters reported that Morocco’s delegation did not speak to the media after the hearing, so its post-hearing view was not available in that account.

No CAS ruling had been issued in the October 8 reporting. Until the panel gives its decision, the result of Senegal’s appeal and the final determination of the title remain unresolved. The hearing was closed, and the cited reports do not provide the parties’ complete submissions or a firm date for publication of the award.