3 referees to decide the Morocco-Senegal final case: who are they?

The dispute surrounding the 2025 AFCON final enters a new phase this Thursday. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is examining the appeal lodged by the Senegalese Football Federation against the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) concerning the awarding of the title.

Having beaten Morocco (1-0) in the final, Senegal were initially crowned African champions. CAF subsequently decided to strip the Teranga Lions of the title and award it to the Atlas Lions, while also imposing sanctions on both national teams.

Morocco-Senegal: Gérald Simon, Fumagalli and Haas tasked with the case at CAS

To examine the case, CAS has appointed a panel composed of three arbitrators: Frenchman Gérald Simon, who will preside over it, Italy's Luigi Fumagalli and Germany's Ulrich Haas.

According to CAS, the hearing will be held behind closed doors and in French, in the presence of representatives of the Moroccan and Senegalese federations as well as CAF representatives.

The three arbitrators have extensive experience in sports arbitration. Gérald Simon has been a member of CAS for more than 20 years, while Luigi Fumagalli has 24 years of experience at the institution and has worked on several sports and Olympic cases.

Ulrich Haas, a law professor at the University of Zurich, also has extensive experience in the field. He has participated in more than 200 sports-related arbitration panels, many of them before CAS.

The CAS verdict will be decisive in determining the winner of the 2025 AFCON title. A ruling in Morocco's favor would confirm the Atlas Lions' triumph, while a judgment in Senegal's favor would see the trophy return to the Teranga Lions.

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Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.

Related teams and leagues

Senegal

Morocco

AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations