The Court of Arbitration for Sport heard arguments on Thursday in Senegal's appeal against being stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title, with CAS promising a decision within days, though no exact date was given.
Senegal are contesting the Confederation of African Football's decision to declare Morocco champions, despite Senegal having beaten the hosts 1-0 after extra time in January's final in Rabat.
During that final, Senegal walked off the pitch for 14 minutes after a penalty was awarded against them late in regulation time, with several players returning to the dressing room in protest before play resumed. Morocco failed to convert the spot kick, sending the match into extra time, where Senegal scored the winner to secure victory.
Two months later, CAF's Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match by walking off the pitch, overturning the result and awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory. Senegal responded by lodging an appeal with CAS on March 25, which was finally heard on Thursday.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb acknowledged the delay in reaching this stage. "I know it's a long wait for the fans a few months after the final between Senegal and Morocco," he said, adding that "the timetable and the procedural calendar were established with the agreement of the parties involved in this case. So everybody knew about the timeline, and our objective as CAS, as the last instance authority, is to provide a reasoned award as soon as possible after the hearing today."
Reeb declined to give a definite date for the ruling. "I expect the decision to come not today, not tomorrow, but a few days later. The facts are set, are clear and the discussions will be on some procedural issues and legal aspects," he said.
The CAS panel was presided over by French sports law expert Gerald Simon, assisted by Italian international law professor Luigi Fumagalli and Hamburg-based attorney and University of Zurich law professor Ulrich Haas. Both parties were represented by lawyers during the closed-door hearing.
Morocco's delegation did not speak to the media after the hearing. Senegal's General Secretary, Abdoulaye Sow, said his federation was confident. "But the important thing is that sports law is upheld and that this particular match is put to bed, for the sake of dignity and for Africa," Sow told reporters outside the hearing.
