- Senegal originally beat Morocco 1-0 after extra time in the January final
- Senegal appealed the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
- CAS director general Matthieu Reeb said the verdict would not come on the day of the hearing.
The Senegal-Morocco Africa Cup of Nations title saga has entered its final legal chapter, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing Senegal’s appeal in Lausanne on Thursday.
Nearly nine months after one of the most dramatic finals in AFCON history, the court is now set to decide whether Senegal should regain the trophy or Morocco should retain the title awarded to them by CAF.
The dispute stems from the chaotic final played in Rabat on January 18. Senegal initially won 1-0 after extra time, with Pape Gueye scoring the decisive goal four minutes into the additional period.
However, the result was later overturned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which declared Senegal to have forfeited the match and recorded a 3-0 victory for Morocco.
CAF's Appeal Board took the decision in March after ruling that Senegal had walked off the pitch in protest after Morocco were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time. The Senegalese players eventually returned to the field and the match was completed, but CAF subsequently applied its tournament regulations to award the game to Morocco.
CAS Hearing Takes Place Behind Closed Doors
Senegal challenged CAF's decision at CAS, with the appeal formally registered on March 25. The hearing began at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne on Thursday and is being conducted behind closed doors after none of the parties requested a public hearing.
The three-member panel comprises Professor Gérald Simon of France as president, along with Professor Luigi Fumagalli of Italy and Professor Dr Ulrich Haas of Germany. Representatives of the Senegalese and Moroccan federations are involved in the proceedings, while CAF is represented by its legal team.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said the judges are expected to deliver their decision within days, although there will be no verdict on Thursday itself. The panel will begin deliberations after the hearing, with the exact timing depending on how long the judges require to prepare their decision.
Referee's Decision At Centre Of Senegal Appeal
One of the key issues in Senegal's case is the authority of referee Jean-Jacques Ndala of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Despite the extraordinary scenes surrounding the penalty incident, Ndala eventually restarted the match after Senegal's players returned to the pitch. The referee then allowed the game to continue into extra time, where Gueye scored the goal that initially gave Senegal the title.
Under Law 5.2 of the Laws of the Game, decisions made by the referee concerning facts connected with play, including the result of a match, are considered final. That principle could become significant as CAS considers whether CAF was entitled to overturn a result that the referee had allowed to stand.
Brahim Diaz's Missed Panenka Added To Final's Drama
The controversy began when Morocco were awarded a late penalty after Senegal's players had protested and temporarily left the field.
Morocco's Brahim Diaz stepped up to take the spot-kick with the opportunity to potentially win the title. The Real Madrid forward attempted a Panenka, but Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy stayed upright and comfortably saved the effort.
The miss kept Senegal alive and allowed the final to continue. Four minutes into extra time, Gueye fired Senegal ahead, giving them what appeared to be a historic AFCON triumph on Moroccan soil.
The celebrations, however, were ultimately overshadowed by CAF's subsequent disciplinary and appeal decisions.
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Morocco Currently Recognised As Champions
Following the final, CAF's disciplinary bodies imposed more than $1 million in combined fines and sanctions on the two federations, players and Senegal coach Pape Thiaw. Morocco had also sought to have the original result annulled and be declared winners, before CAF's Appeal Board eventually ruled in their favour.
On March 17, CAF officially declared Senegal to have forfeited the final and recorded the match as a 3-0 victory for Morocco, thereby recognising Morocco as the AFCON champions.
Senegal's government subsequently backed efforts to pursue legal avenues to recover the title and called for an investigation into alleged corruption within African football.