The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the highest independent judicial body in international sports, has officially confirmed that it has not received any appeal from Senegal regarding the highly controversial outcome of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
In a clear and formal statement released to the media and interested parties, the CAS emphasized that, to date, no formal appeal procedure has been initiated or registered by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) concerning the decision handed down by the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Appeal Board.
This development comes amid growing speculation and mounting pressure on Senegalese football authorities, as the deadline for lodging such an appeal is rapidly approaching.
The background to this situation stems from a dramatic and chaotic final match played in January 2026 between hosts Morocco and Senegal in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025. Senegal had initially emerged victorious on the pitch with a 1-0 win in extra time.
However, the match was marred by significant controversy when Senegalese players staged a walk-off protest lasting approximately 17 minutes in response to a penalty decision awarded to Morocco. This protest led to a formal appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) to CAF’s Appeal Board.
On March 17, 2026, the CAF Appeal Board issued a landmark and widely debated ruling. Invoking Article 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations, the board declared that Senegal had forfeited the final match due to the walk-off, which was deemed a disciplinary breach.
As a result, the on-field 1-0 victory for Senegal was overturned and officially recorded as a 3-0 forfeit win in favor of Morocco. This decision effectively stripped Senegal of the AFCON title they had celebrated on the field and instead crowned Morocco as the 2025 African champions—an unprecedented reversal that has sparked intense criticism across the continent.
In response, the Senegalese Football Federation swiftly and strongly condemned the CAF ruling, describing it in official statements as “illegal,” “deeply unjust,” “unprecedented,” and “unacceptable.” The FSF argued that the decision discredits African football as a whole and vowed to defend the rights and interests of Senegalese football by initiating an appeal “as soon as possible” before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Senior officials within the federation, including its president, indicated that lawyers had been instructed to prepare the case, raising expectations that a formal appeal would be filed without delay.
Despite these public declarations of intent, however, the CAS has now clarified that no such appeal has yet been received or formally lodged. This silence from the Senegalese side has prompted questions and speculation in football circles about the federation’s strategy, possible internal deliberations, or logistical delays in compiling the necessary documentation and legal arguments.
Some reports have even highlighted varying interpretations of the exact procedural deadline, with certain sources citing April 7 as the cutoff for submission, while others reference an earlier date around late March based on the timing of the CAF ruling.
Nevertheless, the window of opportunity remains open for the time being. The Senegalese Football Federation still retains the right to submit its appeal to the CAS by April 7 regarding the outcome of the AFCON Final.
Should they choose to proceed, the case would likely center on arguments that the CAF Appeal Board’s decision violated established football regulations, contradicted the referee’s handling of the match (as the game was allowed to continue), and failed to respect due process or the spirit of fair play under FIFA Laws of the Game.
Legal experts and even some CAS arbitrators have publicly suggested that Senegal may have strong grounds for success if the appeal is properly filed, potentially leading to a restoration of the original result or further proceedings that could drag on for months.
As the April 7 deadline looms, the football world continues to watch closely. An appeal, if lodged, would represent one of the most high-profile and consequential cases in recent African football history, with the potential to reshape not only the 2025 AFCON title but also broader questions of governance, protest rights, and disciplinary consistency within CAF competitions.
Until then, the CAS maintains its position: no appeal from Senegal has been received, leaving the current CAF ruling in effect and Morocco as the reigning champions pending any further legal action.
