The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued a fresh update on the ongoing AFCON 2025 dispute involving the Senegal national football team and the Morocco national football team.
In a statement released on Wednesday, CAS confirmed that it has formally registered an appeal submitted by Senegal’s football federation against both the Confederation of African Football and Morocco. The appeal challenges CAF’s earlier decision to strip Senegal of their AFCON 2025 title and instead award Morocco a 3–0 victory.
At the heart of the case is CAF’s ruling from March 17, 2026, which declared Senegal to have forfeited the final. Through this new appeal, the Senegalese federation is pushing for that decision to be overturned and for Senegal to be reinstated as champions. They have also asked for more time to file their full legal arguments, stating that they are yet to receive the detailed reasoning behind CAF’s verdict.
The controversy stems from the dramatic final played on January 18 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. Senegal had originally secured a 1–0 win in extra time, but the match was overshadowed by a tense moment late in regulation time when the team staged a 14-minute walkout after a penalty was awarded against them. Morocco, however, failed to convert the spot kick, and Senegal went on to score the decisive goal through Pape Gueye.
Following the match, Morocco appealed, and on January 29, CAF’s Appeal Board ruled in their favour. The board cited Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, concluding that Senegal’s actions warranted a forfeiture, and officially recorded the result as a 3–0 win for Morocco.
The decision sparked outrage from Senegal’s camp, with the federation branding it a “travesty” lacking any legal basis. Secretary General Abdoulaye Seydou Sow made their stance clear, insisting: “We will not back down. The truth is on Senegal’s side, the law is on Senegal’s side.”
Senegal’s case is expected to hinge on interpretations of the Laws of the Game. Their argument centres on the idea that the incident falls under “field-of-play matters,” which are typically within the sole authority of the referee under Article 5—meaning the outcome of the match should not be altered after the fact, even if the penalty decision was controversial.
CAS has confirmed that an arbitral panel will now be set up to review the case and determine the next steps. However, with Senegal requesting a delay in submitting their full appeal, the timeline for proceedings remains uncertain.
In the meantime, CAF has already updated its official records, listing Morocco as AFCON 2025 champions and Senegal as runners-up.
As the case unfolds, it is being closely followed across African football, with many seeing it as a defining moment that could shape how disputes—and even match results—are handled off the pitch in the future.