Victory for Morocco: Why Senegal’s appeal to CAS seems like a mission impossible

The Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football has stripped the title from the Lions of Teranga, who won 1-0 after extra time, to award it to the Moroccans with a score of 3-0. This decision sanctions the temporary departure of the Senegalese players. The latter had left the pitch for twelve minutes to contest a penalty awarded to the hosts of the tournament.

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Described as "iniquitous" by the Senegalese Federation, this sanction is strictly based on the regulations of the African body. The texts stipulate that if a team "refuses to play or leaves the field before the end of the match", it will be considered the loser and definitively eliminated.

Before the Lausanne institution, the Senegalese argument is confronted with an unfavorable precedent. In 2019, during a Champions League final, the CAS had validated the title of Espérance de Tunis after the players of Wydad Casablanca had refused to continue the match to protest against a VAR breakdown.

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Despite their appeals, the Moroccans had not been heard at the time. Senegal nevertheless retains a unique glimmer of hope: unlike Wydad at the time, its players finally agreed to resume play. The final winner of the competition will not be known for several weeks.