The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Wednesday that it has officially received an appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF). The appeal challenges the controversial decision to strip Senegal of the AFCON 2025 title, which they had initially won against Morocco in January. Senegal’s appeal is lodged against both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), citing the decision as unjust and alleging corruption.
The dispute stems from the AFCON final played two months prior, where Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0. During the match, Senegalese players, protesting an arbitration decision, briefly left the field under their coach’s instruction. They returned 14 minutes later, and the game resumed. Notably, Brahim Díaz missed a penalty for Morocco, and Senegal subsequently secured the winning goal in extra time.
Following the match, Morocco appealed to CAF. CAF subsequently ruled in favor of Morocco, awarding them a 3-0 victory by forfeit. This decision was based on Senegal’s alleged violation of Article 82 of the regulations. Consequently, Morocco is currently recognized as the official AFCON winner. However, the trophy remains in Senegal’s possession pending the CAS arbitration committee’s final decision on the appeal, which is expected “as quickly as possible,” although no specific timeline has been provided yet. The football world now awaits the CAS’s ruling on whether Senegal will reclaim the AFCON title.