Morocco have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over its suspension from the next two Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournaments.
Morocco was banned by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) following the country’s inability to carry out its hosting obligation for this year’s tournament due to concerns over the spread of Ebola virus.
The North African nation was also handed a $1m fine and ordered to pay for damages to the tune of $9m for enforcing a “Force Majeure” on a matter crucial to the whole of African football.
Equatorial Guinea hosted the 2015 tournament and Cote d’Ivoire emerged champions for a second time.
The Royal Federation of Moroccan Football (FRMF) has earlier in the month “rejected” all of Caf’s “sporting and financial sanctions,” claiming it is “unlawful.”
The African chapter of Global players’ association, FIFPro, has also lamented the severity of punishment handed out to Morocco for pulling out two months to the tournament.
“In its appeal to the Cas the FRMF requests the annulment of the challenged decisions and that a final award be issued by the end of March 2015,” Cas said in a statement released on Tuesday.
“An arbitration procedure has been opened and is being conducted according to the Code of Sports.”
