CAN 2025 Final Senegal-Morocco: CAS to Deliver Verdict in Coming Weeks

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) held the decisive hearing Thursday in Lausanne in the dispute between Senegal and Morocco over the CAN 2025 final. After arguments from both federations, the body announced that its verdict would be delivered “in a few days, or even a few weeks”.

The dispute dates back to January, when Senegal defeated Morocco (1-0) in the final. The match was marked by an interruption: Senegalese players temporarily left the pitch to protest a penalty awarded to Morocco late in the match. In March, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned the result, declaring Morocco the winner by default on the grounds that Senegal had forfeited by abandoning the field. The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) contested this decision before the CAS.

Beyond the sporting title, the matter raises significant financial and legal questions. Renaud Duchêne, a sports law specialist, analyzed the possible repercussions for the parties involved. On the question of bonuses already paid, he emphasizes that any reimbursement would depend on contractual clauses: if a sponsorship bonus was explicitly conditional on winning the title, its return could theoretically be claimed in the event of an official change to the result. However, he considers such an approach unlikely. “Morally and even ethically, I can hardly see a sponsor taking such steps,” he states.

CAF’s liability constitutes another sensitive point. According to Duchêne, holding federations responsible would be difficult, and action against CAF would require demonstrating the existence of serious malfunctions. Compensation possibilities therefore remain limited and dependent on proceedings undertaken.

Regarding appeals, the CAS remains the central body to settle this dispute. A referral to the Swiss Federal Tribunal could be considered in the event of a procedural flaw, without allowing a full review of the case on the merits. “Apart from the CAS in the context of the present proceedings or the Swiss Federal Tribunal in the context of proceedings relating to a procedural flaw, there are no other competent jurisdictions or international arbitral tribunals,” the lawyer clarifies.