Senegal wants to overturn CAF’s decision to crown Morocco champions after a strike by a Senegalese player in the final.
Published March 26, 2026
Senegal has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the decision to strip them of their African Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and hand over the trophy to Morocco, a Switzerland-based court has confirmed.
“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed the acceptance of the appeal by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation,” CAS said in a statement on Wednesday.
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Senegal is hoping to overturn a decision by African football’s governing body to strip them of their title after several players walked off the field in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco in the AFCON final on January 18, which the Senegalese side won 1-0 after extra time.
CAF announced on March 17 that it had upheld an appeal by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, alleging that Senegal had breached competition rules by leaving the match.
As a result, Senegal was declared a forfeit, a 1-0 victory turned into a 3-0 defeat, and hosts Morocco were crowned champions.
CAS said the Senegalese appeal “aims to overturn the CAF decision and declare the FSF as the winner of AFCON.”
CAS Director-General Mathieu Lieb added: “We understand that teams and fans will want to know the final decision, and we will work to ensure that the arbitration process is carried out as quickly as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing.”
The final episode of the farce
The final flashpoint came in stoppage time, with the game scoreless, when Morocco were awarded a hotly contested spot-kick.
The penalty was awarded by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala just before the end of eight minutes of regular extra time, following a VAR check for a challenge on Brahim Dias by El Hadji Malick Diouf.
Some angry Senegalese supporters attempted to invade the pitch, and Senegalese players suspended the match for nearly 20 minutes in protest at the penalty award.
When Senegal’s players finally returned to the pitch, prompted by Sadio Mane, Morocco’s Dias took the kick, but the penalty was saved.
Pape Gueye then scored a goal in extra time, giving Senegal a 1-0 victory and clinching their second continental title after their first in 2022.
The Moroccan federation reacted to CAF’s decision to overturn the result, saying: “We had no intention of contesting the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but simply asking for the application of the competition regulations.”
CAF president Patrice Motsepe said he supported African countries’ right to appeal to CAS and said the continent’s soccer governing body “respects decisions taken at the highest level”.
Immediately after the final, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was watching the match, criticized “some Senegalese players” for “unacceptable scenes”.
Senegal and Morocco are playing a friendly this week in preparation for the upcoming World Cup.
Senegal will face Peru at the France Stadium in Paris on Saturday, while Morocco, who recently replaced Walid Reglagui as new coach Mohamed Ouabi, will face Ecuador in Madrid on Friday before facing Paraguay in Reims, France, on March 31.
