Casablanca – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concluded Thursday’s hearing in the dispute between the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
The session began at around 8:30 a.m. at CAS headquarters in Lausanne and ended shortly before 1:45 p.m., according to RMC Sport’s coverage from Switzerland.
The case now moves into deliberations. CAS had already made clear before the hearing that no decision would be issued on Thursday and said it could not provide a date for the final ruling. The three-member panel consists of President Gérald Simon, Luigi Fumagalli and Ulrich Haas.
FSF Secretary General Abdoulaye Sow addressed reporters after the session and confirmed that the federation’s lawyers had presented their arguments before the panel.
“What we can say is that our lawyers presented our arguments, presented all of our observations and were heard by the arbitration panel,” Sow said, according to RMC Sport.
He said Senegal must now wait for the court to reach its decision, which he suggested could take days or weeks.
Sow offered no details about what was discussed inside the hearing. The proceedings took place behind closed doors, and the parties are not permitted to disclose the substance of the debates.
“I cannot say what really happened because the deliberations are confidential,” he said. “But I can assure you that Senegal defended its position well.”
The Moroccan delegation chose not to speak to reporters after leaving the court, according to RMC Sport.
Deliberations begin
CAS confirmed ahead of Thursday’s session that representatives of both the FRMF and FSF would attend in person, while CAF would be represented by its lawyers. The parties also agreed for the proceedings to be conducted in French.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb told reporters earlier in the day that the court was aware of the prolonged wait surrounding the case, particularly among Moroccan and Senegalese supporters.
He said the procedural calendar had been established in consultation with the parties and that CAS intended to issue a reasoned decision as quickly as possible once the hearing was complete.
Thursday’s session therefore did not produce an indication of how the panel will rule.
The next development will be the arbitrators’ decision itself, with CAS stating that any official announcement in the case will be published through the court.
