The long-running dispute over this year's Africa Cup of Nations title will move closer to resolution as the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne hears Senegal's appeal on Thursday. Senegal was stripped of the title after CAF's Appeal Board ruled that they had forfeited the match by walking off the pitch. Morocco was subsequently declared the winner. The match had ended 1-0 in favor of Senegal after extra time in January's final in Rabat.
The controversy began when a penalty was awarded against Senegal late in regulation time, prompting the team to walk off the pitch for 14 minutes. Several players returned to the dressing room in protest before resuming play. Morocco failed to convert the spot kick, and Senegal scored the winner in extra time. Despite this, CAF's Appeal Board overturned the result, awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco.
Senegal lodged an appeal with CAS on March 25, which will be heard by a panel presided over by French civil rights expert Professor Gerald Simon. The panel will also include Italian international law professor Luigi Fumagalli and Hamburg-based attorney and professor at law at the University of Zurich Ulrich Haas. The panel will listen to arguments from Senegal, Morocco, and CAF.
Senegal's lawyers are expected to argue that the Laws of the Game determine the referee's decisions on incidents of play are final and cannot be challenged after the fact. They will also argue that a temporary departure from the field cannot be equated with abandoning the match. Morocco, on the other hand, is expected to argue that a team that leaves the field without the referee's authorization must be considered the loser and eliminated from the competition.
The articles of the tournament regulations that CAF's Appeals Board ruled in Morocco's favor state that if a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without authorization, it shall be considered the loser and eliminated from the competition. Senegal's lawyers will argue that these articles must be interpreted strictly.
The CAS hearing will determine whether Senegal will be reinstated as winners of the AFCON title. A final decision is not expected on the date of the hearing, but the panel will start its deliberations after hearing arguments from all parties. The outcome will have significant implications for the future of African football.
The dispute highlights the complexities of interpreting tournament regulations and the Laws of the Game. The CAS decision will provide clarity on these issues and set a precedent for future cases. The hearing is a crucial step towards resolving the controversy surrounding the AFCON title.
Key points
- The Court of Arbitration for Sport will hear Senegal's appeal against CAF's decision to strip them of the AFCON title.
- Senegal was stripped of the title after CAF's Appeal Board ruled that they had forfeited the match by walking off the pitch.
- A panel presided over by Professor Gerald Simon will listen to arguments from Senegal, Morocco, and CAF.
