It’s Official! Senegal Has Filed Its Appeal With the CAS

The controversial Africa Cup Of Nations final is far from over. Senegal has officially filed an appeal with CAS after losing the title it won on the pitch and that CAF ultimately awarded to Morocco.

Senegal takes the AFCON battle to CAS

The controversy surrounding the Africa Cup of Nations final continues to escalate and has now reached the legal stage. The Senegalese Football Federation has officially filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an attempt to recover the title they believe was legitimately won on the pitch.

CAS confirmed on Wednesday that it has registered the appeal against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Moroccan Football Federation after the continental governing body decided to strip Senegal of the championship and award it to Morocco with a 3–0 administrative scoreline.

The decision sparked outrage across Senegal, as the Lions of Teranga originally won the match 1–0 after extra time. However, CAF’s Appeals Committee later ruled that Senegal should be sanctioned because their players temporarily left the field without the referee’s authorization.

The incident that changed the final

The controversy stems from the final moments of the match played on January 18 in Rabat. With the score still level, the referee awarded a penalty to Morocco in stoppage time, a decision that triggered furious protests from the Senegalese players.

In response, most of Senegal’s squad briefly left the pitch in protest, while Morocco and the referee remained on the field. Only Sadio Mané stayed on the pitch during the incident.

After around 15 minutes of tension, the Senegalese players returned and the match resumed. Morocco ultimately missed the penalty, and in extra time Senegal secured the victory with a goal from Pape Gueye, seemingly sealing a historic triumph.

However, weeks later CAF applied disciplinary regulations and changed the result to a 3–0 defeat for Senegal, awarding the title to Morocco.

Senegal calls the ruling a historic “administrative robbery”

The reaction in Senegal was immediate. Officials, fans and football figures described the ruling as one of the greatest injustices in African football history.

The federation’s president, Abdoulaye Fall, delivered one of the strongest responses. According to his statements, the decision represents “the most blatant and singular administrative robbery in the history of our sport.”

Senegal’s legal team, composed of international specialists, also criticized CAF’s ruling. According to statements cited by various reports, the lawyers argue that the decision is “absurd, irrational and contrary to the principles of sports law.”

There have even been suggestions that possible irregularities or corruption in the decision-making process could be investigated, adding further tension to a dispute that has already divided African football.

CAS will determine the future of the African title

With the appeal now officially registered, the Court of Arbitration for Sport will examine the case and ultimately deliver the final verdict. However, the institution indicated that there is currently no clear procedural timeline, partly because Senegal requested additional time to submit its arguments.

According to information released by the tribunal, no hearing date has yet been scheduled, meaning the final decision could take several months.

In the meantime, Senegal remains firm in its position. According to the federation’s legal team, the country will continue to claim the trophy and the championship star, convinced that the sporting result should prevail over an administrative sanction.