SOCCER INTEGRITY: Senegal vs Morocco Afcon final saga set to be heard in Swiss court

The year 2026 has seen the integrity of soccer severely dented by a number of off-field controversies. This all began in March 2026, when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to strip Senegal of the African title they had won against Morocco in January this year. 

On 18 January at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, a lone strike from Senegalese midfielder Pape Gueye in the first stanza of extra time handed the Lions of Teranga their second Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title. Or so they thought. The Senegalese’s first African triumph came in 2021. 

Senegal celebrated jubilantly during that historic moment in Rabat and silenced the thousands of expectant Moroccans gathered at the stadium. But CAF later stripped the West African nation of the accolade.

CAF strips Senegal

The Lions of Teranga were retroactively sanctioned for staging a walkout, two months after the match had ended. 

Although they eventually returned to pitch after the walkout, and the match proceeded until its conclusion, the Moroccans were declared the rightful winners of the tournament. However, Senegal vowed to challenge the verdict at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Now the matter will be heard in Switzerland. 

“The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision, which brings African football into disrepute,” Senegal’s soccer association said when announcing its intention to challenge CAF’s decision.  

CAF explained that by staging a walk-off during the heated Morocco-hosted Afcon final (in protest over some officiating decisions), Senegal had breached Article 82 of the regulations of the Afcon rule book, despite their eventual return after more than 10 minutes. CAF said the original action of the Senegalese resulted in Article 84 of the same guide becoming applicable.

Article 82 states that if a team refuses to play or leaves the field before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authorisation, they will be considered the losers and eliminated from the competition. Article 84 complements this provision and says any team that violates Articles 82 will be permanently eliminated and will lose the match 3-0.

CAS case consequences

If Senegal win their Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal, which will be heard on Thursday, 8 October, then the authority of the referee is supreme and his final decisions on the pitch are binding. After all, the referee on that fateful day in Rabat, Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, allowed the match to continue to its eventual conclusion.

However, if the court upholds CAF’s decision to strip Senegal, a slippery slope of refereeing decisions being challenged in retrospect may be triggered. Especially because Morocco did not inform the referee that they were playing the remainder of the match under protest.

Instead, they waited for the final outcome to lodge an appeal with CAF, on the grounds that Ndala should have blown his whistle to end the match as soon as Senegal walked off.

Considering the far-reaching consequences of the verdict by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a final ruling is unlikely to be pronounced for some time after the hearing.

“I will respect and implement the CAS decision. My personal opinion regarding the matter is irrelevant,” CAF president Patrice Motsepe has previously said. 

Soccer’s integrity damaged in 2026

The Morocco versus Senegal saga was a precursor to a handful of high-profile off-field matters that have dented global soccer’s integrity. At the 2026 Fifa World Cup, an unprecedented series of events took place, eventually leading to USA striker Folarin Balogun having a red card inexplicably rescinded by Fifa. 

Balogun received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Tarik Muharemović during the USA’s round-of-32 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina. US President Donald Trump confessed to calling his Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino to request a review of the decision before the Americans faced Belgium in the round of 16.   

The sanction was ultimately lifted by Fifa’s disciplinary committee, allowing Balogun to play in his country’s 4-1 defeat by the Belgians. Amid widespread furore, Infantino maintained that the disciplinary committee’s decision to rescind the red card was not influenced by Trump’s phone call to him.

While Fifa was still putting out that fire, Infantino announced that he had invited external investors to bid for stakes in a 20% slice of major tournaments sanctioned by the global governing body. This included both senior men’s and women’s World Cups, among other events. 

Probably fuelled by the Balogun red card saga, global pushback led by Uefa ultimately forced Fifa and Infantino to backtrack on the plan. The audacious attempt has severely hampered Infantino’s bid to be re-elected Fifa president for a fourth term in 2027. 

In club soccer, English side Manchester City were recently found guilty of 114 charges relating to serious breaches of English Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period. The rules are meant to ensure fair competition in the league, but City circumvented them by arranging sham commercial contracts, artificially inflating revenues and understating operating expenses, among many transgressions.   

The club has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and has appealed against the guilty verdict from an independent committee that has heard the matter for the past three years. DM