CAS OPENS HEARING INTO SENEGAL’S APPEAL OVER AFCON TITLE STRIPPED IN FAVOUR OF MOROCCO
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Agency Report
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has opened a hearing into Senegal’s appeal against the decision to strip the country of its Africa Cup of Nations title and award it to Morocco.
The hearing began in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday, almost 10 months after Senegal defeated tournament hosts Morocco through Pape Gueye’s extra-time goal following a controversial end to normal time.
The final was marred by protests after a late penalty was awarded to Morocco, prompting several Senegalese players to leave the pitch.
Morocco’s Brahim Diaz subsequently missed the penalty after Senegal’s players returned to the field almost 20 minutes later.
However, in March, the Confederation of African Football overturned the result, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory and the AFCON title.
The opening day of the CAS hearing lasted more than five hours behind closed doors.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb acknowledged the prolonged wait for a resolution, saying supporters from both countries and across Africa had been waiting for the outcome.
“I know that the wait for supporters, as much the Senegalese and Moroccan ones as all African fans, has been very long,” Reeb told reporters.
He added that the hearing could last “days or even weeks”.
While the Moroccan delegation declined to speak to reporters, Senegalese Football Federation president Abdoulaye Sow expressed hope that the appeal would uphold the principles of sports law.
He said he hoped “sports law” would be respected “for the dignity and honour of Africa”.
Following Senegal’s victory in the final, Morocco appealed to CAF, which ruled that Senegal had breached regulations prohibiting teams from leaving the field without the referee’s authorisation.
Senegal strongly rejected the decision, describing it as the “most blatant administrative robbery in the history of our sport”.
The country’s players even paraded the trophy before supporters in Paris at the end of March, despite CAF’s ruling.
The dispute has also raised questions about the authority of referees and the interpretation of football regulations.
Thibault Ulrich, a sports law researcher at the University of Lausanne, described CAF’s ruling as “extremely strict”, arguing that it failed to adequately consider the decision of Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to allow the match to continue.
The International Football Association Board, which oversees the Laws of the Game, has provisions suggesting that a referee’s decision to continue a match cannot be overturned, even if the decision was erroneous.
CAS rules also generally favour respect for referees’ decisions unless there is evidence of corruption or bad faith.
The controversy has prompted further scrutiny of CAF’s handling of the case.
On March 18, the Senegalese government called for an investigation into suspected corruption within the continental football governing body.
The development came two weeks after CAF ruled in Morocco’s favour. Around the same period, CAF dismissed Djiboutian lawyer Yassin Robleh, who had overseen the integrity of its procedures for six years, without publicly explaining the reasons for his removal.
The CAS hearing is expected to determine the outcome of Senegal’s challenge to CAF’s decision and whether Morocco will retain the title awarded to it.
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