Swiss court sets October hearing for Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations appeal
The Court of Arbitration for Sport will hear Senegal’s challenge against losing the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title in October, underscoring the growing reliance on Swiss-based tribunals to resolve high-stakes international football governance disputes.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has scheduled an 8 October hearing to decide whether Senegal should be reinstated as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations champion. The case centers on the Confederation of African Football’s decision to strip Senegal of the title and award a 3-0 forfeit victory to tournament hosts Morocco.
This legal dispute brings international football governance back to the spotlight in Lausanne, where the Swiss-based tribunal handles the sport's most complex regulatory conflicts. The outcome will test the boundaries of match forfeiture rules and set a precedent for how continental governing bodies enforce disciplinary measures in major tournaments.
The controversy stems from the January final, which Senegal originally won 1-0. Senegalese players temporarily walked off the pitch for 17 minutes after Morocco was awarded a stoppage-time penalty while the match was goalless.
Play eventually resumed, and Senegal successfully defended against Brahim Diaz’s penalty before Pape Gueye scored the extra-time winner. Despite the on-field result, the Confederation of African Football later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match by abandoning the pitch.
Senegal formally lodged its appeal with the tribunal on 25 March, seeking to overturn the governing body's ruling. Both the Confederation of African Football and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation declined to expedite the legal proceedings, pushing the resolution into the autumn.
The tribunal confirmed that the 8 October date aligns with its standard procedural timeline. Because neither the African governing body nor the Moroccan federation requested an open session, the hearings will be conducted behind closed doors at the tribunal's Swiss headquarters.
A delayed resolution prolongs the uncertainty surrounding the tournament's commercial rights and broadcasting revenues for the involved parties. A final ruling on the rightful owner of the continental trophy will not be issued on the day of the hearing.
