Overview
- The Court of Arbitration for Sport held a closed hearing in Lausanne on Thursday to hear Senegal’s challenge to CAF’s March decision that awarded the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations to Morocco.
- A three‑arbitrator panel led by Gérald Simon heard arguments from Senegal, Morocco and CAF and has begun deliberations without issuing an immediate ruling.
- During the hearing Morocco’s team reportedly introduced a disputed ‘second’ referee report that CAF’s lawyers rejected, creating a new factual disagreement now for the panel to assess.
- CAS has signaled it will issue a reasoned award in days or weeks and its ruling could reinstate Senegal, confirm Morocco, send the case back to CAF, or fashion another remedy.
- Beyond the trophy, the decision will shape whether a referee’s on‑field final whistle can override tournament forfeiture rules and could affect fines, federation discipline and calls for governance reforms.