AFCON title dispute awaits full CAS ruling in November

The Court of Arbitration for Sport expects to deliver its ruling on Senegal’s appeal over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final at the end of November, leaving CAF’s decision to award the title to Morocco under challenge.The arbitration panel is continuing deliberations following a closed hearing in Lausanne on October 8 and has decided to issue its decision together with the full legal reasoning.CAS said: “The CAS arbitrators have decided to issue a complete ruling which includes legal grounds, known as a CAS Award.“This process will require several weeks, with the CAS Award expected at the end of November 2026.”The Senegalese Football Federation’s appeal is directed against CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, following the reversal of the result of the January 18 final in Rabat.Senegal won the completed match 1–0 after extra time, but CAF’s Appeal Board subsequently ruled that their players’ walkout constituted a forfeit and awarded Morocco a 3–0 victory.The dispute centres on a stoppage late in normal time, when several Senegal players left the pitch and returned to the dressing room in protest at a penalty awarded against them.Play resumed after approximately 14 minutes, Morocco missed the penalty and Senegal went on to score the winning goal in extra time.Senegal’s appeal challenges the subsequent treatment of that interruption, arguing that the referee permitted the match to continue and that his decision should stand.The case therefore concerns the relationship between decisions taken by match officials and the application of competition regulations by disciplinary and appeal bodies after a fixture has been completed.The panel’s decision to publish a fully reasoned award means the parties will receive the legal basis alongside the outcome, rather than learning the result first and receiving the explanation later.That approach extends the wait beyond the timetable initially indicated publicly after the hearing, when a decision had been anticipated within days.CAS director general Matthieu Reeb said outside the hearing: “I know it’s a long wait for the fans a few months after the final between Senegal and Morocco.“I expect the decision to come not today, not tomorrow, but a few days later. The facts are set, are clear and the discussions will be on some procedural issues and legal aspects.”The eventual award will determine the outcome of Senegal’s challenge and explain how the panel has assessed the procedural and regulatory arguments presented by the parties.Until then, the continental championship remains the subject of an unresolved arbitration, with the result recorded by CAF contested by the team who won the match on the pitch.CAS has also warned against treating unofficial claims about the proceedings as authoritative while deliberations continue.The court stated: “Only information provided through CAS channels is considered official and any announcement concerning this case will be published on the CAS website.”