Senegal and Morocco are set to have their Africa Cup of Nations dispute resolved at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne on Thursday, nearly nine months after a chaotic final in Rabat left the tournament’s champion undefined.
The appeal centers on the validity of referee Jean-Jacques Ndala’s decisions during the January match. Senegal initially won 1-0 after extra time, but the Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned that result in March, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory due to the Senegalese team’s walk-off protest.
Senegal’s legal team argues that under Law 5.2 of The Laws of the Game, the referee’s decisions regarding the result of the match are final. They contend that Ndala chose to resume play rather than abandon the contest after the players returned to the field, thereby validating Senegal’s on-pitch victory.
The original final was marred by violent clashes between Senegalese fans and Moroccan police. During the match, Senegal protested a penalty decision in stoppage time, leading to a 15-minute delay. Star forward Sadio Mané reportedly urged teammates to continue playing, preventing the referee from awarding a forfeit win to Morocco at that moment.
Morocco later missed a critical penalty kick by Brahim Diaz, which was saved by Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal in extra time.
CAS judges will hear the case behind closed doors. No date has been set for the verdict, which will determine the winner ahead of the next AFCON tournament in June, hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Both federations are expected to skip the hearing due to a concurrent CAF summit in Cape Verde attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Meanwhile, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI pardoned 18 Senegalese fans jailed over the stadium disorders in May.
I’m skeptical about the CAS ruling. Referee’s decision was final according to Law 5.2. Why is CAF overturning it?
This is absurd. The referee should not have resumed play after the incident. Senegal clearly deserved the win.