GENEVA (AP) 鈥� Senegal鈥檚 title it won in a chaotic final against host nation Morocco in January will be heard at sport鈥檚 highest court on Oct. 8.
The Friday the hearing will be held behind closed doors at its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, with no target date set for a verdict.
CAS judges can typically take several months to announce their decision, and the AFCON case will be rigorously scrutinized after provoking a .
Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 after extra time in an on Jan. 18.
Morocco was when appeal judges for the Confederation of African Football ruled Senegal defaulted the game by leaving the field to protest a penalty kick being awarded to Morocco.
Preparing the appeal hearing was in process throughout the where Morocco reached the quarterfinals and in the round of 32 against Belgium after leading 2-0 late in the game.
鈥淎t this stage, CAS cannot state when a final decision will be rendered but it will not be on the day of the hearing,鈥� the court said Friday in a statement.
How the final unfolded
The AFCON final drama erupted in stoppage time after the regulation 90 minutes with the score tied at 0-0.
Senegal players walked off the field and delayed play for 15 minutes when Morocco was awarded the penalty that was eventually saved.
Senegal’s star forward with helping persuade his team to complete the game.
That avoided the game being abandoned amid angry scenes in the stadium as Moroccan police clashed with Senegal fans. Tensions had risen when Senegal had a goal disallowed in stoppage time, minutes before the penalty was awarded.
Morocco’s missed penalty kick also entered soccer lore. Stepping up for what shaped as the final play of the game, Morocco forward Brahim D铆az attempted a delicate slow chip shot 鈥� known as a 鈥淧anenka鈥� 鈥� that Senegal goalkeeper 脡douard Mendy stood up to save easily.
Fallout from the final continued into May. Morocco’s who were jailed for up to one year because of the clashes in the stadium.
African soccer judges challenged
The CAF appeal ruling in March seemed to ignore the laws of soccer which on the field of play is final.
The judges, however, cited a CAF tournament rule that any team refusing to play 鈥渟hall be eliminated for good from the current competition.鈥� Senegal’s refusal to play lasted several minutes though did not force or persuade the referee to abandon the game.
The decision to strip the title from Senegal fueled a perception that Morocco, which will with Spain and Portugal, has increasing influence in international soccer politics.
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