The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing over the controversial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal ended Thursday, October 8, in Lausanne. After several hours of arguments, the three-member panel now has the submissions from all sides, with no date set for the ruling.
The hearing began at 09:30 and ended shortly before 15:00, around 15 minutes earlier than initially scheduled. CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb had said earlier in the day that proceedings could continue until 15:00, 15:30 or even 16:00 depending on the exchanges between the parties.
As for the ruling, the case is complex and will require careful consideration in line with the tribunal’s applicable rules. It is therefore not expected immediately.
“We are here to resolve this dispute, which has been going on for several months, with the goal of issuing a decision as quickly as possible after the hearing. I do not think it will be today or tomorrow,” Reeb said.
He added that the ruling could take “a few days, or even a few weeks, if the arbitrators want to draft a full decision with the legal reasoning.”
Read also : Morocco vs Senegal CAN 2025 final: What happens after the CAS hearing?
The hearing follows the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, which was interrupted for 16 minutes after Senegal’s players left the field to protest an officiating decision. Senegal eventually won the match 1-0.
After the match, CAF initially sanctioned the various incidents without changing the sporting result. Following an appeal by the FRMF, the CAF Appeals Jury ruled on March 17 that Morocco had won the final by forfeit, recording the result as a 3-0 victory for Morocco under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations.
The FSF subsequently appealed to CAS. The Lausanne hearing therefore concerns the decision of the CAF Appeals Jury, rather than the sporting result of the final itself.
