Court hears appeal in African Champions League final case

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday heard an appeal to overturn the decision that awarded the 2019 African Champions League title to Tunisian club Espérance.

CAS said it held a hearing by video link for Wydad Casablanca to challenge rulings that declared Espérance the champion after a chaotic second-leg game was abandoned last May 31.

The court typically makes its ruling several weeks after a hearing.

The second-leg game in Tunisia could not be finished when Wydad players refused to continue in a dispute over a disallowed goal.

The Moroccan club thought it scored in the 59th minute to level the game at 1-1 and make the aggregate score 2-2. But the goal was disallowed for offside, and the promised video review system was not available.

Espérance was awarded the title by the Confederation of African Football and then represented Africa at FIFA’s Club World Cup in Qatar last December.

The CAS hearing on Friday was originally scheduled in March, when the court halted in-person hearings because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A previous CAS ruling in the legal saga overruled a decision by CAF’s executive committee to order a replay of the second leg.