African Cup of Nations Title Dispute Resumes: Senegal and Morocco Face Off at Court of Arbitration for Sport

France 24 reported that Senegal and Morocco returned to contest the Africa Cup of Nations title on Thursday—this time at the headquarters of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. The closed-door hearing came nearly nine months after the chaotic final whistle in Rabat in January.

In that final, Senegalese midfielder Pape Gueye scored the winning goal in extra time to seal a 1-0 victory over host Morocco. However, a stoppage-time decision plunged the result into lasting controversy. A penalty taken by Moroccan forward Brahim Diaz was gathered cleanly by Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy—a slow, deliberate attempt to deceive the keeper that failed. Senegalese players then walked off the pitch collectively to protest the call, suspending play for roughly 15 minutes.

According to reports cited by France 24, after Senegalese forward Sadio Mane intervened to persuade his teammates to return, Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala resumed the match and ordered the penalty retaken. Article 5.2 of the Laws of the Game states: "The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final." Senegal completed the match and scored the game's only goal in extra time.

Two months after the final, however, the CAF Appeals Committee invoked the Africa Cup of Nations tournament regulations, ruling that Senegal had forfeited a 0-3 defeat to Morocco for "leaving the field without the referee's permission." The original rule states that a team that "refuses to play or leaves the field before the end of a regular match without the referee's authorization shall be considered losers and be eliminated from the current competition for good."

The central tension of the reversal: the referee himself had restored play, the match had been completed, and the extra-time goal had been validated—while disciplinary and appeals procedures overturned the on-field result after the fact. France 24 reported that the CAF disciplinary judge in Cairo, 11 days after the final, levied cumulative fines exceeding USD 1 million on both federations, the players involved and Senegalese coach Pape Thiaw, with Thiaw himself receiving a five-match ban; the judge also rejected Morocco's request to be directly declared the winner.

The Senegalese government has publicly pledged to pursue "all appropriate legal avenues" to reclaim the title and has called for an investigation into alleged corruption within African football.

The case also reflects broader questions of power structures. Morocco is a co-host of the 2030 World Cup, and its influence within the CAF and FIFA has drawn outside scrutiny both before and after the controversy. France 24 reported that in footage of the moment the penalty was taken, Moroccan Prince Moulay Rachid and FIFA President Gianni Infantino sat together in the VIP stand visibly shaken. In May, King Mohammed VI of Morocco pardoned 18 Senegalese fans who had been imprisoned over the Rabat stadium unrest.

The CAS hearing on Thursday was conducted behind closed doors by a panel of three judges, with no date yet set for the ruling. France 24 noted that the presidents of both the Senegalese and Moroccan football federations are expected to be absent from the hearing, as they are required to attend a three-day CAF Football Summit in Cape Verde, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino will also attend.

The next Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to open next June, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Before then, the debate over the boundary between on-field results and institutional rulings, the consistency of rule enforcement and the distribution of power within the CAF will continue to unfold in the proceedings in Lausanne.