"Tas" closes the chapter on rumors.. and a sports law expert interprets the implications.
By setting October 8, 2026, as the date for the hearing in the case brought by the Senegalese Football Federation against both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ended the confusion and speculation surrounding the ongoing dispute regarding the final of the Africa Cup of Nations "Morocco 2025," which was hosted in the Kingdom's stadiums at the beginning of this year.
CAS clarified that the case will proceed "according to the normal timeline stipulated in its regulations," given that the disputing parties did not reach an agreement on "adopting an expedited procedure." It was also decided that the session would be held behind closed doors (in secrecy) as no party requested to make it public.
The court, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, emphasized that the arbitration panel will begin its deliberations immediately after the session concludes, confirming that "the final decision will not be issued on the same day"; it also sent a stern message regarding the rumors and false information circulating, indicating that its statements issued through its official channels are the only reliable source of information.
In a comment made to the online newspaper Hespress regarding this development, Issam El Ibrahimy, president of the Mediterranean Center for Studies and Research in Sports Law (CMEDS), a lawyer in Casablanca and an expert specializing in sports law and arbitration, provided an analytical reading that dissected the dimensions of the statement and the "stages of the anticipated arbitration procedure."
El Ibrahimy stated that the statement from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) came "at a precise time, following a wave of rumors and incorrect news that spread through social media, and were even circulated by some official media outlets in several countries," regarding this case.
The Moroccan expert in sports law added: "It seems that the court decided to put an end to this controversy and to confirm that the only source of official information is its statements issued through its official channels."