The Senegal Football Federation has announced plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being stripped of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title following a controversial ruling by the Confederation of African Football Appeals Board.
Senegal had originally defeated Morocco national football team 1–0 in the final, but the Appeals Board overturned the result and awarded Morocco a 3–0 victory.
The decision stems from an incident late in the match when a number of Senegal players briefly left the pitch after a penalty was awarded to Morocco. CAF ruled that the action constituted a forfeiture under Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations.
However, the Senegalese federation has strongly rejected that interpretation, insisting the ruling lacks both fairness and legal grounding.
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“The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision, which brings African football into disrepute,” the FSF said in a statement.
The federation confirmed it will challenge the verdict at the highest level of sports arbitration.
“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the federation will, as soon as possible, file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.”
FSF Secretary General Abdoulaye Seydou Sow also criticised the process, suggesting the outcome had been predetermined.
“This is a travesty; this decision is based on absolutely nothing. It has no legal foundation,” he said.
“From what we saw when the hearing began, we already had serious doubts — clearly, the judge did not come to rule on the case, he came to carry out orders.”
He added that the federation remains confident of overturning the decision.
“We will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will issue the final decision. We will not back down… the truth and the law are on Senegal’s side.”
Senegal are expected to argue that only the match referee has the authority to determine a forfeiture during play — a decision that was never made before the final whistle.
The ruling has also raised broader concerns about the possibility of altering match outcomes retrospectively, a move that could set a significant precedent in African football.
Meanwhile, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation acknowledged the decision, stating that its position was focused on ensuring that the competition rules were correctly applied.
With the case now set for CAS review, the final verdict could have major implications for the integrity of the 2025 AFCON and the governance of the game across the continent.
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