Senegal hope to overturn CAF’s decision to crown Morocco champions following a walkout by Senegalese players in the final.

Senegal have lodged an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the decision to strip them of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and hand the trophy to Morocco, the Swiss-based tribunal has confirmed.

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirms receipt of an appeal by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation,” CAS said in a statement on Wednesday.

Senegal are hoping to overturn the decision by African football’s governing body to strip them of the title after several of their players walked off the pitch protesting against a penalty awarded to Morocco during the AFCON final on January 18, which the Senegalese side went on to win 1-0 in extra time.

CAF announced on March 17 that it had upheld an appeal by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, saying Senegal had infringed tournament regulations by walking off.

As a result, it declared Senegal to have forfeited the match, turning their 1-0 victory into a 3-0 defeat, making hosts Morocco the champions.

CAS said Senegal’s appeal “seeks to set aside the CAF decision and declare the FSF winners of AFCON”.

CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb added: “We understand that teams and fans are eager to know the final decision, and we will ensure that arbitration proceedings are conducted as swiftly as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing.”

Farcical final

The final flashpoint came when Morocco were awarded a hotly contested spot-kick in injury time with the game goalless.

Source: Aljazeera/AFP