The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has formally filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), challenging the Confederation of African Football’s decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and award it to Morocco.
What happened at the final
The controversy traces back to the AFCON final on 18 January 2026, when hosts Morocco were awarded a late penalty in stoppage time. Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest, remained off for several minutes, before eventually returning. Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, the match went to extra time, and Senegal won 1-0 to claim what appeared to be their second AFCON title.
Senegal remained in the dressing room for over 14 minutes before returning to the pitch, following the intervention of Liverpool legend Sadio Mane.
CAF’s ruling and Morocco’s title award
Two months after the final, CAF’s Appeals Board overturned the result. Invoking Articles 82 and 84 of its AFCON regulations, the board declared that Senegal had forfeited the final by walking off the pitch, awarding Morocco a 3-0 walkover victory and the title.
Article 82 states that any team that withdraws or leaves the ground before the end of a match without the referee’s authorisation shall be considered to have lost. Article 84 mandates a 3-0 loss as the penalty. Such a ruling is without precedent in AFCON history.
Senegal’s reaction and CAS filing
The FSF swiftly rejected the ruling. The federation described the decision as “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable,” saying it “discredits African football.”
Senegal formally escalated the matter by filing an appeal with CAS on Tuesday, 24 March. FSF executive committee member Moussa Mbaye confirmed the move, stating the federation will pursue the case to its logical conclusion to protect the interests of the Teranga Lions.
CAS freezes CAF’s verdict
In an interim decision issued on Monday, CAS accepted Senegal’s appeal and ordered a “freeze” on the implementation of CAF’s ruling. The move places the 2025 AFCON title in legal limbo pending a full hearing.
The immediate consequence is that AFCON 2025 currently has no officially recognised champion. The trophy remains unassigned while legal proceedings continue.
However, some reports cast doubt on the timeline. Africa Top Sports reported on Wednesday that CAS confirmed it had not yet received any formal documentation from the FSF as of that date, adding that Senegal has until 7 April to file its formal documentation.
FSF committee member Moussa Mbaye has also moved to dispel social media rumours that CAS had already reversed CAF’s ruling, calling such claims fake news and confirming no decision has yet been made in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Senegal’s legal argument
Senegal’s case relies on the IFAB Laws of the Game, specifically, rules 5.1 and 5.2, which grant the referee full authority over on-pitch decisions and state that those decisions are final. The referee at the final, Jean-Jacques Ndala, ordered the match restarted after Senegal’s protest and concluded the game after extra time, with Senegal as the winners.
What Nigeria’s Super Eagles stand to gain or lose
Nigeria finished third at AFCON 2025. CAF’s official website currently reflects Morocco as the winner, Senegal as the runners-up, and Nigeria unchanged as the third-placed team. The outcome of the CAS hearing is unlikely to affect Nigeria’s standing, but the ruling will set a major precedent for how future African football disputes are handled.
CAS will conduct a full hearing before issuing a final ruling. The Senegalese Football Federation has until 7 April to formally submit its appeal. Until then, one of African football’s most dramatic title disputes remains unresolved.