Senegal gets CAS date for appeal to regain AFCON from Morocco

Senegal's appeal to reclaim the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title it won in a chaotic final against host nation Morocco in January has been scheduled for a hearing at sport's highest court.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Friday that the hearing will take place behind closed doors at its headquarters in Lausanne on October 8. No target date has been set for a verdict, and CAS judges typically take several months to announce their decision.

The preparation of the appeal hearing was ongoing during the World Cup, where Morocco reached the quarterfinals and Senegal exited in the round of 32 after losing to Belgium.

In the extraordinary AFCON final in Rabat, Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0 after extra time. During the match, Senegal players walked off the field and delayed play for 15 minutes when Morocco was awarded a stoppage-time penalty kick, which was eventually saved.

Several weeks later, appeal judges for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded the title to Morocco, ruling that Senegal had defaulted the game by leaving the field. This decision seemingly ignored the laws of football, which state that the referee's decision on the field of play is final.