Rabat – Sudanese club Al Hilal have announced plans to take their dispute with RS Berkane to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the Confederation of African Football’s Appeals Committee rejected their latest challenge.
The case concerns the eligibility of Moroccan defender Hamza El Moussaoui to participate in both legs of the clubs’ 2025–2026 CAF Champions League quarter-final.
Al Hilal said CAF’s Appeals Committee had upheld an earlier ruling by the governing body’s Disciplinary Committee, which rejected the Sudanese club’s complaint against RS Berkane.
“The club’s lawyer, Pedro, sent a copy of the decision to the board,” Al Hilal said in a statement. “After receiving the full grounds, he will proceed directly with escalating the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
Dispute centres on El Moussaoui’s participation
Al Hilal initially filed its complaint after losing 2-1 on aggregate to RS Berkane in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw on March 14, with the Moroccan club equalizing from a stoppage-time penalty. El Moussaoui was involved in the move that led to the spot kick, which formed part of Al Hilal’s argument that his participation had directly affected the result.
RS Berkane then won the return match 1-0 on March 22 with another goal in added time, securing their first qualification for the Champions League semi-finals.
Al Hilal based its complaint on reports that El Moussaoui had returned a positive anti-doping test in January involving prednisone or prednisolone.
The Sudanese club claimed CAF imposed a 30-day suspension on March 11 but lifted it before the first leg, allowing the left-back to appear in both matches. Al Hilal argued that he should have remained ineligible and questioned the procedure through which he was permitted to play.
CAF’s Disciplinary Committee rejected those arguments in April and maintained RS Berkane’s qualification. Al Hilal then appealed the ruling while warning that it would turn to CAS if the continental body again ruled against it.
The Appeals Committee’s decision means the Sudanese club has now exhausted the internal CAF process.
A CAS appeal would not automatically overturn the results. Al Hilal would need to establish that CAF incorrectly applied the relevant disciplinary, competition or anti-doping regulations when determining El Moussaoui’s eligibility.
Until CAS confirms that an appeal has been registered and subsequently issues a ruling, RS Berkane’s 2-1 aggregate victory and CAF’s decisions remain in force.
