Senegal Files Appeal Against Result of 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Final Before Sports Arbitration Court
The Sports Arbitration Court announced in a statement on March 25, 2026, that it has received an appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation against both the Confederation of African Football and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation regarding a decision related to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations held in Morocco in 2025.
The Confederation of African Football declared on March 17, 2026, that the Senegalese national team had lost the final match due to withdrawal, awarding victory to the Moroccan team with a score of three goals to none. However, the Senegalese Football Federation rejected this decision and requested the Sports Arbitration Court to annul it and declare Senegal the tournament winner.
The statement clarified that the appeal was officially registered on March 25 and also includes a request to suspend the deadline for submitting the appeal memorandum until the complete reasoning for the Confederation of African Football’s decision is received, as the initial announcement contained only the ruling without detailed justification.
An arbitration panel is expected to be formed to review the case, with a timeline for proceedings to be established later. According to the court’s rules, the appellant party is granted twenty days to submit its legal arguments, followed by a similar period for the other parties to respond. However, the suspension request filed by the Senegalese Football Federation currently makes it impossible to establish precise dates for the case stages or the hearing.
In this context, the court’s director, Mathieu Reeb, confirmed that the Sports Arbitration Court possesses the necessary competence and experience to handle such disputes, emphasizing the commitment to expedite the proceedings while ensuring that all parties have the right to a fair trial.
