The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is set to rule within days on Senegal's appeal against the decision to strip them of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title. The CAS heard arguments on Thursday and indicated that a decision would be forthcoming soon.
Senegal is contesting the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) ruling that declared Morocco champions, despite Senegal's 1-0 victory after extra time in the final held in January in Rabat. During the match, Senegal walked off the pitch for 14 minutes after a penalty was awarded against them late in regulation time, with some players returning to the dressing room in protest before resuming play. Morocco failed to convert the penalty, leading to extra time where Senegal scored the winning goal.
However, two months later, CAF's Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match due to their walk-off, overturning the result and awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco. Senegal subsequently appealed to CAS, lodging their appeal on March 25, which was heard on Thursday.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb acknowledged the wait for fans and stated, "The timetable and the procedural calendar were established with the agreement of the parties involved in this case. Our objective as CAS, as the last instance authority, is to provide a reasoned award as soon as possible after the hearing today." Reeb did not specify an exact date for the decision but mentioned it would not be immediate.
The panel at CAS, led by French sports law expert Gerald Simon and including Italian international law professor Luigi Fumagalli and Hamburg-based lawyer Ulrich Haas, completed the hearing on Thursday. Morocco's delegation did not comment to the media, while Senegal's General Secretary Abdoulaye Sow expressed confidence in the process, emphasizing the importance of upholding sports law and resolving the matter for the sake of dignity in African football.