GENEVA: Senegal's appeal to be reinstated as Africa Cup of Nations champion was registered Wednesday by sport's highest court, which set no timetable for a likely long process toward a verdict in a heated soccer controversy.
The Senegal soccer federation is challenging a surprise ruling last week by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip the title won in a chaotic final on the field in January and award it to host nation Morocco.
An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland was promised last week by the Senegalese government, which also called for an international investigation "into suspected corruption" within the African soccer body.
CAS said in a statement that the Senegal federation also asks for extra time to file an appeal brief because CAF has not yet given detailed written reasons to explain its verdict.
"At this early stage of proceedings and considering the (Senegal federation) request to suspend deadlines, it is not possible to anticipate a procedural timeline and to indicate when a hearing will be scheduled," the court said.
CAF appeal judges took the title from Senegal two months after the final in Rabat as punishment for players walking off in protest during a 15-minute stoppage after Morocco was awarded a penalty that was set to decide the title with the last kick.