Morocco, held 0-0 at home by Togo in a World Cup qualifier in June, have failed to get the result of the match overturned.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday it had rejected Morocco's appeal to be awarded a 3-0 victory on the grounds that Togo fielded an ineligible player.

CAS also confirmed that FIFA, soccer's world governing body, was right to award a 3-0 forfeit win to Gabon over Togo in an earlier match in African region Group A.

Although Morocco have no chance of making next year's World Cup, the decision has damaged their chances of reaching the African Nations Cup finals. The same qualifying competition is used for both tournaments.

The story began when Togo fielded Abdul Mamah against Gabon, despite his being suspended for picking up two yellow cards in earlier matches.

FIFA awarded Gabon a 3-0 win although, coincidentally, this was the same as the result on the pitch.

Mamah then played in the subsequent game against Morocco, who argued he should have been serving the suspension against them after failing to do so against Togo.

However, CAS said: "The FIFA rules do not mention that a player who fails to serve a one-match suspension is automatically suspended from the following match."

Morocco, who host Cameroon in their final group game on Saturday, are bottom of the group with three points from five games, two behind Togo.