Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – The long-running dispute over the winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will move to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne on Thursday, as Senegal and Morocco prepare to argue their cases over a final that has remained unresolved for months.
For the first time in the history of the continental competition, the sports court is being asked to determine the outcome of an AFCON final after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) declared Senegal the loser by forfeit and awarded the title to Morocco.
The dispute stems from the final played in Rabat in January, which descended into controversy after Senegalese players temporarily left the pitch following a penalty awarded to Morocco. The Lions of Teranga later returned and went on to win the match 1-0 after extra time through Pape Guèye.
Despite Senegal’s eventual victory on the field, CAF ruled in March that the team had forfeited the match, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory. The Senegalese Football Federation subsequently challenged the decision before CAS.
The case will be heard from 9:30am in Lausanne, with a three-member panel comprising a French president, an Italian, and a German arbitrator, all specialists in sports law. CAF will also participate in the proceedings.
The hearing will take place behind closed doors, with neither Senegal nor Morocco requesting a public hearing.
Senegal’s Sports Minister Djirèye Clotilde Coly has expressed confidence in the country’s legal case, telling RFI that Senegal had prepared thoroughly for the proceedings.
“The tribunal will decide. What is certain is that Senegal has prepared its case well. At this stage, I have neither doubts nor fear. We are waiting for the tribunal’s decision,” she said.
Three possible outcomes are now being considered. CAS could uphold CAF’s decision, leaving Morocco as the winner by a 3-0 forfeit. It could overturn CAF’s ruling and validate the result originally obtained on the pitch, giving the title back to Senegal.
Alternatively, it could annul the CAF decision and refer the case back to the continental body for a fresh ruling.
The hearing is expected to conclude with the case being taken under deliberation, meaning the final decision is unlikely to be announced immediately.
The ruling will finally determine whether Senegal’s victory on the field stands or whether Morocco’s 3-0 administrative win becomes the official result of the 2025 AFCON final.
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