Thursday, April 2, 2015

Le Nouvel Observateur- CAS Cancels Sanctions, Morocco Will Compete

News > TopNews > CAS cancels sanctions, Morocco will compete for the CAN 2017 and 2019

CAS cancels sanctions, Morocco will compete for the CAN 2017 and 2019

Posted on 02-04-2015 at 4:27 p.m.Updated at 23:55

A Moroccan reads a newspaper announcing that Morocco does not host the CAN-2015, November 12, 2014 in Rabat (c) AFP

Lausanne (AFP) - Morocco initially suspended by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for refusing to host the CAN-2015 for fear of Ebola, will finally play the playoffs in 2017 and 2019 editions of the decision on Thursday after the Court Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

. Drafted in extremis

The decision of the CAS in Lausanne is timely because the CAF designate next Wednesday at Cairo the hosts of CAN-2017 (Algeria, Gabon and Ghana are candidates) and will make the draw for the playoffs flagship competition of Africa.

"It is not good news is good news! For the Moroccan football is a great relief", welcomed Mustapha Hadji, assistant coach, told the AFP .

"I am very pleased that justice was rendered to Moroccans went further to the press Badou Zaki, the coach. Instead of waiting until 2018 (World Cup in Russia ), we will focus on the CAN-2017. "

Back incredible drama: Morocco had refused to organize the 2015 edition of the competition on schedule (January 17-February 8), calling in vain its postponement due to the Ebola outbreak in Africa West . CAF had ruled Morocco from 2015 edition, found a substitute in fourth gear-hosts (Equatorial Guinea) and was subsequently suspended the Kingdom of Morocco for editions in 2017 and 2019.

But the CAS held Thursday that "the exclusion of Team A from Morocco next two editions of CAN was not expressly provided for by the regulations in force at the time of withdrawal from the organization of the CAN 2015 and any case, given the circumstances of the case, was not proportionate to the fault of the FRMF (Moroccan Federation). "

Therefore, "the suspension of the national team of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation from participating in the next two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and 2019, is canceled," writes the Supreme Court sport.

. Financial sanctions partly offset

Morocco had also been financially sanctioned by CAF. First, the African Football Confederation had inflicted in Morocco a fine of $ 1 million (919,000 euros). CAS believes that it should be reduced to $ 50,000 (45,976 euros vicinity), corresponding to the maximum amount provided for by Regulation CAF in force at the time.

CAF also demanded, this time in respect of damages, a sum of $ 8.75 million (€ 8.05 million). On this point the CAS decision is double relaxation. "On the merits," CAS "found that no regulatory provision allowed the CAF to unilaterally force the FRMF to pay compensation for damages."

But TAS "however did not rule out the right of the CAF to obtain compensation for any damage, including the implementation of the arbitration procedure especially in the staging agreement of the Cup AfricanNations. " This part of the dispute is therefore probably not completed because the staging agreement of CAN-2015 provided another remedy (another jurisdiction) that can be further exploited.

Which could play against Morocco in this last part? "On the merits, the FRMF could not claim a force majeure in that the epidemic Ebola did not make possible the organization of the CAN in Morocco , "the CAS. Still a good game for financial lawyers in sight.