Senegal's Reaction to CAF's Ruling
In a significant turn of events, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) issued a statement late Tuesday evening in response to the ruling made by the Appeals Jury of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN). This ruling declared Senegal as forfeiting the match, thus awarding victory to Morocco. The FSF expressed that it had received the official notification of this decision, which was rendered on March 17 by the CAF Appeals Jury.
The FSF highlighted that the Appeals Jury accepted the appeal from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and subsequently annulled the decision that had been made by the CAF Disciplinary Jury. The cancellation was based on the grounds that the right to a fair hearing for the appealing party was not respected during the initial proceedings. This critical aspect has raised significant concerns about the fairness of the process.
Furthermore, the Appeals Jury determined that the behavior of the Senegalese team fell under articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations. Consequently, CAF ruled that the FSF violated article 82, leading to Senegal's forfeiture of the match with a score recorded as 3-0 in favor of the FRMF, in accordance with article 84. This ruling has sparked a wave of discontent within the Senegalese football community.
The FSF condemned this decision as inequitable, unprecedented, and unacceptable, claiming that it undermines the integrity of African football. To protect its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the federation announced its intention to initiate an appeal process before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne as soon as possible. The FSF reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice and promised to keep the public informed about the developments regarding this matter.
As reported by ledesk.ma.
