THE ORGANIZATION that hears cases related to sports, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), says it will do everything possible to quickly hear Senegal’s appeal for being stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title.
CAS, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, confirmed that the complaint was officially registered on Wednesday.
Senegal is complaining about the recent decision of the Caf appeal board to place Morocco as the champion of the Afcon which was played in this country from December to January.
Senegal won 1-0 in extra time in the final in Rabat on January 18, but that happened and the game was interrupted.
Morocco received a penalty near the end of the second half, Senegal’s players left the field due to disagreement with the referee’s decision.
After minutes of begging they finally returned to the field, Brahim Diaz’s penalty was caught by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, before Pape Gueye scored the winning goal for the Lions of Teranga in extra time.
Caf’s disciplinary committee initially fined both teams for the incidents that took place in the match, but did not change the result. However, the board decided that Senegal boycotted the match when they left the field, and Morocco was deemed to have won 3-0.
The director general of CAS, Matthieu Reeb, said that a committee will be appointed to listen to this matter soon and reveal all the plans.
“CAS is prepared to resolve this type of complaint with the help of experts and independent arbitrators. We understand that teams and fans are eager to hear a final decision, and we will ensure that this happens quickly but also in a way that respects the rights of all parties,” said Reeb.
“Once the arbitrators have been appointed, the dates will be set for the hearing of this matter and will allow all parties to present evidence. All will be given the opportunity to present their evidence in accordance with CAS rules.”
Meanwhile, Senegal walked around the field with the Afcon trophy ahead of their friendly match against Peru, which they won 2-0 in Paris on Sunday.
The team wore a jersey with two stars representing the undecided 2021, 2022, and 2025 Afcon champions.