Khaberni - After the African Football Confederation announced on Tuesday the decision to strip the Senegalese team of the African title won against the Moroccan team in the 2025 edition, and to officially count the final match result as a 3-0 win for Morocco, a fundamental question has emerged: Has the legal battle ended, or does the Senegalese Federation have options to appeal this decision?
The "CAF" clarified in its statement that the Appeals Committee decided, pursuant to Articles 82 and 84 of the African Nations Cup regulations, to consider the Senegalese team to have forfeited the final game, with the result confirmed in favor of Morocco.
What are Articles 82 and 84 that Senegal violated?
The African Committee stated that the conduct of the Senegalese team is subject to the provisions of Articles 82 and 84 of the championship regulations, confirming that the Senegalese Football Federation, through its team's conduct, violated Article 82 which states:
Any team that withdraws from the match, refuses to play, or leaves the pitch before its conclusion without the referee's permission, is considered to have lost and is excluded from the competition, a ruling that also applies to teams excluded by official decision.
The Committee also based its decision on Article 84 which specifies the penalties, stating:
The offending team will be disqualified and considered to have lost by a score of (3-0), with the possibility of imposing additional penalties by the organizing committee.
Based on these facts, the Appeals Committee decided to consider the Senegalese team to have lost the final game and to formally award the title to the Moroccan team, a decision expected to provoke widespread reactions within the football community.
Legal options for Senegal: Court of Arbitration for Sport
Following the decision of the Appeals Committee, "CAF" has exhausted all internal legal remedies, which means that the door is closed continentally for the Senegalese Federation. Therefore, Senegal's only remaining option is to proceed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the highest judicial authority in sports in the world (CAS).
The jurisdiction of the Court of Arbitration for Sport is defined in Article 57 of the FIFA regulations, which states its competence in appeals against final decisions issued by the legal bodies of FIFA, as well as decisions issued by continental federations or member associations or leagues.
How will Senegal formulate its appeal?
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is the highest judicial authority in sports disputes, and resorting to it is permitted in two cases:
To appeal final decisions issued by sports bodies such as "CAF" or continental federations, after exhausting all internal appeal processes.
Presence of an arbitration clause in the regulations or contracts allowing direct recourse to the court.
If the Senegalese Federation's legal department decides to resort to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, it will begin by preparing a comprehensive file, based on several main defenses previously specified by the court in case of resorting to it in Article 47 bis, among them:
Submitting the official appeal to "CAS" within the legal deadline (usually 21 days from the date of notification).
The Senegalese party arguing that the penalty of title withdrawal and the 3-0 defeat is considered "very severe" - according to the claim.
Attempt to prove any misapplication or misinterpretation of the regulations by "CAF".
Senegal trying to prove force majeure to justify the players' withdrawal incident and their exit from the pitch.
The decisions of "CAS" are final and binding, and can only be challenged before the Swiss Federal Court within a very limited scope.
Until now, the Senegalese Football Federation has not issued any official statement.
