Lausanne, Switzerland — The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is set to hear Senegal’s appeal on Thursday against a decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip the country of its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and award the championship to Morocco.

Senegal is challenging a March ruling by CAF’s Appeal Board, which overturned the result of the AFCON final and declared Morocco champions despite Senegal winning the match 1-0 after extra time.

Senegal challenges CAF ruling over AFCON final

The dispute stems from the January 18 final in Rabat, where Senegal defeated hosts Morocco following a controversial late penalty decision.

Senegal’s players briefly walked off the pitch in protest after Morocco were awarded a penalty, delaying the match for approximately 14 minutes.

Morocco missed the penalty after play resumed, and Senegal went on to score the winning goal in extra time.

In March, CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final under Article 84 of the competition’s regulations.

The board recorded the match as a 3-0 victory for Morocco, effectively stripping Senegal of the AFCON title and declaring the North African side champions.

Senegal’s football federation subsequently appealed the decision to CAS.

CAS to hear Senegal appeal behind closed doors

The hearing will take place behind closed doors at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The court said its arbitration panel would deliberate after hearing arguments from the parties, with no ruling expected on Thursday.

Senegal is seeking to overturn CAF’s decision and have its status as Africa Cup of Nations champions restored.

Morocco retains AFCON title pending CAS decision

Morocco remains the officially recognized AFCON champion under CAF’s ruling while the appeal is pending.

The outcome of the CAS proceedings will determine whether Senegal regains the title or Morocco retains the championship awarded by CAF.