Mauritania's Douanes win their legal battle against Hafia Conakry and set up a date with Chabab Belouizdad
Resolved after weeks of waiting
Mauritania's Douanes have brought the curtain down on their legal dispute with Guinea's Hafia Conakry. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected their opponent's appeal and upheld the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decision to order a replay of the second leg between the two sides in the first preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.
In an official statement today, Monday, the Mauritanian club confirmed that CAS had thrown out the appeal Hafia Conakry lodged on 8 October 2026. The ruling backs the decision of CAF's Interclub Competitions Committee, issued on 14 September, which judged the failure to stage the original match a case of force majeure and approved its rescheduling.
That verdict hands Douanes the right to progress to the second preliminary round of the 2026-2027 competition, where they will meet Algeria's CR Belouizdad.
The crisis traces back to the Douanes delegation's inability to travel to the Guinean capital for the second leg, originally set for 11 September. The aircraft meant to carry the team was involved in an accident, which prompted CAF to declare the incident force majeure and order a replay.
Douanes won the rearranged tie 1-0 on 19 September. That sealed a 3-2 aggregate triumph for the Mauritanians, after the first leg in Nouakchott had finished 2-2.
Hafia Conakry refused to accept the decision. They argued their opponents had missed the match through organisational failings rather than force majeure, and took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which on 16 October temporarily postponed both ties between Douanes and CR Belouizdad while the dispute was resolved.
With the final ruling rejecting the appeal, the matter is settled in the Mauritanian club's favour. Their place in the next round is confirmed, clearing the path for the eagerly awaited showdown with CR Belouizdad.
