CAS receives Senegal’s appeal against declaring Morocco as AFCON winners

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has officially acknowledged receiving an appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).

The appeal challenges a CAF decision made on March 17, 2026, which declared that Senegal’s national team forfeited the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final for Morocco 2025, thereby awarding the Moroccan team a 3-0 victory.
The FSF is seeking to overturn this decision and have themselves declared the AFCON winners.

They also request an immediate halt to the deadline for submitting an appeal brief until the CAF decision is fully explained.

The CAF decision from March 17, 2026, was only provisional.

A CAS Arbitral Panel will be formed to review the case, after which a procedural schedule will be set.

According to CAS procedural rules, the Appellant has twenty days to file an appeal brief with legal arguments, and the Respondents have another twenty days to submit a defense statement.

However, CAS has denied the FSF’s request to pause deadlines, as it is not feasible to predict a procedural timeline or specify when a hearing will occur.

Matthieu Reeb, CAS Director General, commented: “CAS is fully equipped to handle this type of dispute, with the help of expert and independent arbitrators. We understand the eagerness of teams and fans to know the final decision, and we will ensure that arbitration proceedings are conducted as quickly as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing.”

On the 17th of this month, the CAF appeals committee ruled in favor of Morocco’s appeal against the CAF disciplinary committee’s decision, which had confirmed Senegal as champions.

The appeals committee nullified Senegal’s AFCON victory and penalized Senegal for forfeiting the match by leaving the field, thereby declaring Morocco as champions with a 3-0 score.