Morocco and Senegal will have to wait for a ruling in their dispute over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, the head of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday as a hearing began in Lausanne over CAF’s decision to award Morocco the championship following Senegal’s walkout during the final.
CAS Director General Mathieu Reeb told journalists that a verdict was unlikely on Thursday or Friday and could take several days or even weeks, depending on how much time the three arbitrators need to prepare their judgment.
“We are here to resolve this dispute, which has been going on for several months, with the aim of delivering a decision as quickly as possible after the hearing,” Reeb said.
“I don’t think it will be today or tomorrow.”
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Representatives of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeared before the tribunal on Thursday morning for a hearing that began at 9:30am.
The case concerns CAF’s March 17 decision to declare Morocco the winner of the AFCON final by 3-0, overturning Senegal’s 1-0 victory on the pitch.
Senegal had won the final after extra time, but the match was interrupted for 16 minutes when its players left the field to protest a refereeing decision.
CAF initially imposed disciplinary sanctions over the incidents without changing the result.
The Moroccan federation appealed, and CAF’s Appeal Board subsequently ruled in Morocco’s favor under Articles 82 and 84 of the tournament regulations, awarding the hosts a 3-0 victory by forfeiture.
Senegal then challenged that decision before CAS.
Thursday’s hearing is being conducted before a panel chaired by France’s Gerald Simon, with Italy’s Luigi Fumagalli and Germany’s Ulrich Haas serving as the other two arbitrators.
AFP
Reeb said the lawyers had agreed on a timetable under which proceedings were expected to end around 3pm or 3:30pm, with the possibility of continuing until 4pm.
He said the arbitrators would then need time to examine the case before issuing their decision.
