Gambiaj.com – (LAUSANE, Switzerland) – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed receiving an appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) challenging a ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that declared Senegal forfeited the final of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.
In a media release issued Wednesday from Lausanne, Switzerland, CAS said the appeal, registered on March 25, 2026, targets both CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF). The dispute stems from a CAF decision on March 17, 2026, which ruled that the Senegal national team forfeited the tournament final and awarded the match to Morocco with a 3–0 result.
According to CAS, the Senegalese federation is seeking to have the CAF decision annulled and to be declared the winner of the continental competition.
The FSF has also requested an immediate suspension of the deadline to submit its detailed appeal brief until CAF provides the full written grounds of its decision. The ruling issued on March 17, CAS noted, contained only the operative outcome without the detailed reasoning.
A panel of arbitrators will now be appointed by CAS to examine the case. Once constituted, the panel will establish a procedural calendar to guide the arbitration process.
Under CAS rules, an appellant normally has 20 days to submit a formal appeal brief outlining its legal arguments, after which the respondents are given another 20 days to file their defence.
However, CAS indicated that because Senegal has requested a suspension of the filing deadline, it is currently not possible to determine a clear procedural timeline or predict when a hearing might take place.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said the institution is equipped to handle such disputes through independent arbitration.
“CAS is perfectly equipped to resolve this type of dispute, with the assistance of expert and independent arbitrators,” Reeb said. “We understand that teams and fans are eager to know the final decision, and we will ensure that arbitration proceedings are conducted as swiftly as possible while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing.”
CAS added that the proceedings will remain confidential while ongoing and that updates will be provided to the media if and when a hearing is scheduled.
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