FOOTBALL – 2025 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) REJECTS APPEAL BY FEGUIFOOT AHEAD OF AFCON 2025
Lausanne, 25 November 2025 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected an appeal by the Fédération Guinéenne de Football (FEGUIFOOT) against the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) and the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) concerning a qualifying match for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025), where a player was fielded with the incorrect shirt number.
On 19 November 2024, Guinea and Tanzania played a qualifying match for AFCON 2025 which Tanzania won 1-0. At the 73rd minute of the match, a Tanzanian player was fielded wearing a shirt with the number 26, who was registered that day by the TFF as wearing a shirt with the number 24. The match continued as scheduled.
After the match, FEGUIFOOT filed a protest to CAF, arguing that an entry into play with a false number introduced an unacceptable tactical imbalance, compromised the fairness of the match and gave Tanzania an undue advantage. The matter was escalated to the CAF Appeal Board who issued a decision on 11 June 2025 that dismissed the FEGUIFOOT appeal and declared it inadmissible.
FEGUIFOOT subsequently filed an appeal to CAS against the CAF Appeal Board decision. The appeal sought a declaration that the match was forfeited by Tanzania with a score of 3-0, and an order to allow Guinea to participate in AFCON 2025 in lieu of Tanzania. In the alternative, they sought a declaration that Tanzania committed an administrative error and should be excluded from AFCON 2025, with Guinea designated as a replacement.
An in-person hearing took place at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on 17 November 2025. After considering the arguments, the Panel was unanimous in rejecting the appeal and confirming the CAF Appeal Board decision.
This is an unofficial summary for media use. The issued decision is operative only (without grounds) and unless Parties request confidentiality, a full Award will be made available on the CAS website in due course.
