Senegal Appeals CAF’s AFCON Decision
Senegal have filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the decision by the Confederation of African Football to strip them of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and award it to Morocco.
CAS confirmed on Wednesday that it had received the appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) against CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. The Swiss-based tribunal said the appeal seeks to overturn CAF’s ruling and reinstate Senegal as champions.
The controversy stems from the AFCON final played on January 18, where Senegal initially secured a 1-0 victory over Morocco after extra time. However, CAF later ruled that Senegal had breached tournament regulations when some of their players walked off the pitch in protest following a late penalty awarded to Morocco.
As a result, CAF declared Senegal to have forfeited the match, converting their win into a 3-0 defeat and naming Morocco as champions.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said the tribunal would handle the case as swiftly as possible while ensuring a fair hearing for all parties involved.
The final itself was marred by chaotic scenes after Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a stoppage-time penalty following a VAR review of a challenge involving Brahim Diaz and Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf. Senegal’s players protested the decision, halting the match for nearly 20 minutes, while some fans attempted to invade the pitch.
Although Morocco’s penalty was saved, Senegal went on to score through Pape Gueye in extra time to clinch what appeared to be their second AFCON title.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe has backed the right of teams to seek arbitration, stating that the governing body would respect the final decision of CAS. Meanwhile, Gianni Infantino had earlier condemned the conduct of some Senegal players, describing the scenes during the final as unacceptable.
Both Senegal and Morocco are now focusing on upcoming international friendlies as they await the outcome of the appeal.
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