An international lawyer predicts the CAS ruling: the Africa Cup will remain with Morocco at 75%
The French expert confirms that the chances of the Senegalese appeal succeeding are "very slim".
Morocco look well placed to keep hold of the Africa Cup of Nations title, despite Senegal's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruling that handed them a 3-0 defeat in the final. That is the verdict of a lawyer specialising in sports law.
French lawyer Romain Bizini, who has worked on cases heard before CAS, reckons a strict reading of the rules favours Morocco. He expects the court to uphold the decision of CAF's appeals committee and rates Senegal's chances of a successful appeal as "very low".
Spanish newspaper "Sport" quoted Bizini explaining that CAF based their ruling on Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations. Those articles state that a team is deemed the loser and eliminated if it refuses to play or leaves the pitch before the end of the match without the referee's permission, with the result recorded as 3-0 in favour of its opponent.
According to the lawyer, the appeals committee decided Senegal had refused to carry on playing and left the pitch during the final without the referee's permission. He stressed, though, that the details of the case and the precise reasoning behind the committee's decision have not been made public.
On Senegal's likely defence, Bizini expects them to argue that the rule is designed to punish a team that refuses to resume play, which may not fit this case, given the match was in fact completed.
Senegal's federation may also contend that three players stayed on the pitch, so the national team cannot be said to have left it entirely. Bizini countered that Article 3.1 of the Laws of the Game, issued by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), requires at least seven players for a match to continue.
Bizini said: "Despite that, and given that the Court of Arbitration for Sport first examines legal matters, I believe Senegal's chances of a successful appeal are very low."
He put the odds of CAF's decision standing at 75%, which would leave Morocco as continental champions. The court's job, he stressed, is to apply the regulations, not to weigh emotions or what unfolded on the pitch.
A replay of the final is off the table, according to Bizini. CAF's regulations make no provision for it, and the penalty laid down in this case is for the offending team to be deemed the loser by a 3-0 scoreline.
From a legal standpoint, he added, a CAS decision to uphold CAF's ruling would mean the annulment of Senegal's victory and the cup being handed to Morocco, along with an exchange of medals. He described the case as one of an exceptional nature.
For now, Senegal's appeal does not suspend CAF's decision. Morocco therefore remain holders of the Africa Cup of Nations until the Court of Arbitration for Sport issues a final ruling at the end of this November.
