Following Malaysia, another national team appeals to CAS

The Senegal Football Federation has officially filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport after their national team's victory over Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations was annulled.

Last week, the appeals committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) made a controversial decision by awarding the 2025 African championship title to the Moroccan national team, while annulling Senegal's 1-0 win and awarding a 0-3 defeat. The reason was that Senegal was deemed to have abandoned the match after players left the field for a few minutes to protest a controversial penalty awarded to the host team during stoppage time.

This decision was made two months after the final took place in Rabat. Previously, the match continued after Senegal's players returned to the field, and the Moroccan team failed to successfully convert the penalty following Brahim Diaz's shot. Subsequently, Senegal scored in extra time to secure a 1-0 victory over the hosts.

Recently, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed that the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) has formally initiated the appeal process, aiming to overturn CAF's decision and be recognized as the champion. Simultaneously, FSF also requested a suspension of the deadline for submitting arguments until CAF provides a complete legal basis for its ruling.

CAS stated it will establish an arbitration panel to review the case. However, due to complex legal procedures, including the need for both parties to complete their arguments, a specific date for the hearing cannot yet be determined.

CAS General Director Matthieu Reeb stated: "CAS is fully capable of handling this type of dispute, supported by experienced and independent arbitrators.

We understand that teams and fans alike wish to know the final outcome, and we will ensure the arbitration process proceeds as swiftly as possible while respecting the right to a fair hearing for all parties."

Before processing FSF's appeal, CAS also issued a ruling related to the dispute between the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and FIFA.

Specifically, FIFA accused FAM of falsifying the naturalization documents of seven players who participated in two Asian Cup 2027 qualifying matches against Nepal and Vietnam. After review, CAS issued a ruling unfavorable to Malaysia.

The consequence of this decision is that the Malaysian national team was awarded a 0-3 defeat in both aforementioned matches by the Asian Football Confederation, thereby losing its spot in the 2027 Asian Cup Finals to the Vietnamese national team.