CAS Opens Hearing on Senegal's Appeal Over Stripped AFCON Title
Theo Al Jazeera English
The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne has begun hearing Senegal's appeal against CAF's decision to strip the country of its Africa Cup of Nations title and award it to Morocco. A three-member panel will weigh arguments from Senegal, Morocco and CAF, with no ruling expected on the day of the hearing.
On Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, opened a hearing on Senegal's appeal after the country was stripped of its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the trophy awarded to Morocco. The development is seen as a step closer to resolving a dispute over this year's title that has dragged on for months.
According to the case file, Senegal is challenging CAF's decision to declare Morocco champion, even though Senegal had beaten the host nation 1-0 after extra time in the final played in January in Rabat.
During that match, Senegal left the pitch 14 minutes after conceding a penalty late in regulation time. Several Senegal players went into the dressing room in protest before returning to the field to continue playing. Morocco missed the penalty, sending the match into extra time, where Senegal scored the winning goal.
Two months later, however, Senegal was stripped of the title after CAF's Appeal Board ruled that the team had abandoned the match by leaving the pitch, overturning the result and awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco.
Senegal promptly filed an appeal with CAS. The appeal was submitted on March 25 but only came up for consideration on Thursday. Senegal is seeking to be recognised again as champion. The arbitration panel will hear arguments from the parties, including Senegal, Morocco and CAF.
"After the hearing, the panel will begin its deliberations. At this stage, CAS cannot confirm when the final ruling will be issued, but it will certainly not be on the day of the hearing," CAS said in a statement.
Three-member CAS panel weighs arguments from Senegal and CAF
The panel has three members, chaired by French civil law expert Gerald Simon, alongside Italian international law professor Luigi Fumagalli and lawyer and University of Zurich law professor Ulrich Haas (based in Hamburg).
The arbitrators are likely to hear Senegal argue that the Laws of the Game provide that referees' decisions on on-field matters are final and cannot be challenged after the fact.
Another key issue is the interpretation of the tournament regulations provision on which CAF's Appeal Board relied in ruling in Morocco's favour. The provision states that if, for any reason, a team refuses to play or leaves the pitch before the match ends according to the prescribed time without the referee's permission, that team shall be considered to have lost and be permanently excluded from the current competition.
Senegal's lawyers are expected to argue that the provisions must be interpreted strictly and that a temporary departure from the pitch cannot be equated with abandoning the match. Morocco, meanwhile, is expected to offer the opposite interpretation, arguing that a team that leaves the pitch without the referee's permission must be considered to have lost and be permanently excluded from the tournament, even if the departure was not permanent.
The hearing is being held behind closed doors, with no access for the press or the public.
Meanwhile, qualifying for AFCON 2027 has already begun. Senegal drew 0-0 with Mozambique in Patrick Vieira's debut as coach on September 25, before winning 1-0 in Ethiopia on September 29. Morocco won both of their opening matches, against Gabon and Lesotho respectively.
