Claim: Senegal has been affirmed 2025 AFCON winners by CAS
Source: Social media (X and Instagram)
Verdict: False
Researched by Gifty Danso
After the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stripped Senegal of the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and handed it to Morocco earlier this year, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) appealed against CAF’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
However, almost four months later, viral posts on social media (here, here, here, and here) claim the appeal has been decided and the Court had declared Senegal winners of the AFCON. The claim was circulated with a legal notice supposedly issued by CAS.
This fact-check will verify the claim.
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Fact-check
GhanaFact reached out to CAS via email to verify the circulating legal notice and enquire about any updates on the case.
In response to our request, the institution noted that “No official decision has been made and the procedure remains ongoing,” CAS added that it was “aware of the false information circulating around the procedure.”
CAS is an international quasi-judicial body based in Lausanne,Switzerland, that resolves sports-related disputes through arbitration or mediation. Established in 1984, CAS has tailored procedural rules to render impartial decisions through arbitration and mediation. Sporting bodies and athletes assign CAS the judicial authority to uphold an equal and just application of sporting regulations.
Verdict:
The claim that Senegal’s appeal at CAS has succeeded is false!
A timeline of misinformation surrounding the 2025 AFCON
Since the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Morocco and Senegal on January 18, 2025, a wave of misinformation has circulated online.
GhanaFact has fact-checked at least five viral claims linked to the tournament and its aftermath.
In January, we debunked two false claims: one alleging that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had suspended Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw for his role in a brief boycott by his team during the final, and another claiming that CAF and the Senegalese government had promised free data packages to people across African countries.
In March, just about a week after CAF’s decision upholding Morocco’s petition, we fact-checked three additional viral claims alleging that:
- Senegal had moved the AFCON trophy to a military base following CAF’s ruling.
- Guinea had petitioned CAF to review the outcome of the 1976 AFCON final against Morocco.
- Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defender Achraf Hakimi had rejected CAF’s decision declaring Morocco champions.
