The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has formally submitted its defense to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) in response to the appeal filed by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) challenging the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF)‘s decision to award the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) hosting rights to Morocco.
The Moroccan federation confirmed that its submission strictly adheres to the TAS procedures and legal deadlines, countering rumors of a missed filing window. According to reliable sources, the deadline extension rules were correctly applied, as Sunday is recognized as a non-working day under TAS regulations—pushing the submission deadline to the following business day (Monday).
next steps in the tas proceedings
The TAS will now review the submitted defense documents from both the Moroccan and Senegalese sides. The arbitral body will assess the legal arguments before making a final ruling on the validity of the CAF‘s decision.
The dispute stems from the controversial conclusion of the 2025 CAN final, where the Senegalese team left the field, prompting the CAF to award the match to Morocco by a 3-0 forfeit. The FSF has since contested this ruling, escalating the matter to the TAS for arbitration.
