Analysts rule out the turning of sports tension into a diplomatic crisis between Rabat and Dakar

Moroccan professors of international relations and political science ruled out that the sporting tensions between the Moroccan and Senegalese football federations, resulting from the decision of the African Union Sanctions Appeal Committee declaring the Senegalese national team defeated by withdrawing and crowning its Moroccan counterpart champion of the African Cup of Nations “Morocco 2025,” would lead to any rift in political and diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Senegal.

Although, following the decision, the Senegalese government called for an international investigation into suspicions of “corruption” within the CAF, the follow-ups of these professors were based on “a common will to contain tension and not extend it to the diplomatic sphere.”

Mohamed Boubouche, professor of international relations at Mohammed I University in Oujda, reported that “the procedures before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS/CAS) in Lausanne are expected to take from 6 to 12 months; The Senegalese appeal will focus on the interpretive problems of Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, the role of the referee in resuming the match, and the time delay in issuing the decision,” stressing that “the court’s decision is final and binding on all parties.”

As for the diplomatic level, Bobouch noted, in a statement to Hespress, that “the tension resulting from this decision remains temporary and emotional-media more than structural, without harming diplomatic relations between the two brotherly countries. Moroccan-Senegalese relations are built on deep historical, religious and civilizational foundations that include the Tijaniya Sufi order, extensive Moroccan investments in the agricultural and banking sectors, student exchange and training programs for imams, and mutual immigration.”

He added that “the popular and official Senegalese anger - represented by the refusal to hand over the cup, the Senegalese government’s demand for an international investigation into suspicions of corruption within the CAF, and the (abnormal) statements of some citizens indicating that the perception of Moroccans has been affected - created temporary media pressure.”

But the statement pointed out that “prominent official and popular Senegalese voices (such as the president of the TH Gainde 12 Fans Association) affirmed that these incidents should not affect fraternal relations,” and stressed “the necessity of nurturing historical friendship. The Moroccan embassy in Dakar also called for restraint, which reflects a common will to contain tension.”

For his part, Al-Abbas Al-Wardi, a political analyst and professor of public law, stated that “Morocco did not violate a football law or any other, and its decision to appeal to CAF is its right, just as Senegal has the right to go to the International Sports Court.”