The Court of Arbitration for Sport convenes today in Lausanne, Switzerland, to hear Senegal's appeal against the decision that stripped the country of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and awarded it to Morocco. The hearing, listed as case CAS 2026/A/12295, begins at 9:30 a.m. local time behind closed doors.
The dispute stems from the dramatic AFCON 2025 final on January 18, 2026, in Rabat. Senegal initially won 1-0 after extra time through Pape Gueye's 94th-minute goal, but the match was overshadowed by chaos late in normal time when a VAR review handed Morocco a penalty. Several Senegal players walked off the pitch in protest before returning; Brahim Diaz missed the penalty with an attempted Panenka, and Senegal went on to win.
In March 2026, CAF's Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had breached Article 82 of the AFCON regulations and declared the team to have forfeited the final, recording a 3-0 victory for Morocco and handing the hosts the title. Senegal registered its appeal on March 25, asking CAS to annul the ruling and declare the Teranga Lions champions.
The three-member panel — Professor Gerald Simon of France, Professor Luigi Fumagalli of Italy, and Professor Dr. Ulrich Haas of Germany — will deliberate after today's session, but CAS stressed no verdict will come today. South Africa's football media, including Soccer Laduma and SuperSport, is following the case closely, given its implications for the continent's football order ahead of the next AFCON cycle.
