The Court of Arbitration for Sport will deliver its ruling on Senegal’s appeal against the loss of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title by the end of November, the Lausanne-based court has confirmed, ending months of uncertainty over who is the rightful African champion.
A hearing was held behind closed doors on October 8, with legal arguments from the Senegalese Football Federation, the Confederation of African Football and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation heard by a CAS panel. The court had initially indicated a quicker decision but has now opted for a full award setting out its legal reasoning. Senegal filed its appeal on March 25, seeking to overturn CAF’s decision to strip the Teranga Lions of the title and award it to Morocco.
The dispute traces back to January 18, when Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in Rabat through Pape Gueye’s extra-time goal. With the score goalless in stoppage time, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty after a VAR review, prompting Senegal’s players to leave the pitch for about 17 minutes. Brahim Diaz missed the spot kick, and Senegal went on to win. On March 17, CAF’s Appeal Board overturned the result following a Moroccan appeal, ruling that Senegal had forfeited the match by leaving the field without authorisation. The board cited Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory and the continental title.
Article 82 states that a team which refuses to play or leaves the ground before the end of regulation time without the referee’s permission is considered to have lost and is eliminated. Article 84 provides that any team found to have violated Article 82 forfeits the match 3-0. Senegal’s case rests on the argument that the referee allowed play to continue and that his decision was final, meaning the match was completed and the on-field result should stand.
The financial stakes are significant. CAF had announced a 43 per cent increase in prize money for the 2025 tournament, with the winner receiving USD 10 million, up from USD 7 million in 2023. The runner-up was due USD 4 million, while the two semi-finalists each received USD 2.5 million. The title also carries commercial and sponsorship value that extends well beyond the prize purse.
Romain Bizzini, a lawyer at the Paris Bar, has said the strictness of the regulations favours CAF’s position, estimating a 75 per cent chance that the CAS will uphold the forfeit. Others have argued that the referee’s decision to resume the match creates a factual complication that the panel must resolve. CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb has acknowledged frustration at the delay, saying the remaining issues are procedural and legal.
The ruling will settle one of the most contentious disputes in African football history. If CAS upholds CAF, Morocco will retain the title. If Senegal succeeds, the Teranga Lions will be reinstated as champions, and the record books will be rewritten. Either way, the decision will set a precedent for how walk-offs and forfeitures are handled under CAF regulations.