Senegal aren't going quietly. The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday, refusing to accept CAF's decision to hand their African Cup of Nations title to Morocco.
The dispute traces back to January 18 in Rabat, when Senegal walked off the pitch to protest a penalty awarded to Morocco. They returned after 14 minutes and actually won the game 1-0. CAF's appeal board then decided that wasn't good enough — last week they wiped that result and handed Morocco a 3-0 victory, along with the title that came with it.
What Senegal are asking CAS to do
The FSF isn't just appealing the result. They want the full CAF decision set aside and themselves declared AFCON winners. They've also requested a suspension of the deadline to file an appeal brief until CAF provides its full written reasoning — a procedural move that suggests their legal team wants to see exactly what grounds CAF used before committing their full argument to paper.
A CAS arbitral panel will be appointed to hear the case. A procedural calendar follows after that. In other words, this will drag on for months.
The Senegalese government has already called for an inquiry into how the title was removed. FSF lawyers are due to address a press conference in Paris on Thursday, which suggests there's a broader public case being built alongside the legal one.
Why this matters beyond the paperwork
The sporting stakes are real. AFCON titles don't come around often — this was a genuinely contested final, decided on the pitch, before the lawyers got involved. CAF's decision to overturn a completed result based on a protest walkout sets a precedent that will unsettle everyone in African football. If Senegal win at CAS, it raises serious questions about CAF's governance. If they lose, a nation that won the match still loses the cup.
Any futures markets tied to AFCON or Senegal's tournament standing should treat this as live — nothing is settled until CAS rules.
The FSF's lawyers speak Thursday. After that, the waiting begins.
