Dr Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has acknowledged that African football continues to grapple with trust and integrity challenges following the decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.
Senegal had defeated hosts Morocco 1-0 in Rabat, despite briefly walking off the pitch for 14 minutes at the end of regulation time in protest over a penalty awarded to Morocco. The team later returned to complete the match and went on to secure victory in extra time.
Although CAF’s Disciplinary Board initially dismissed Morocco’s protest, the Appeals Board subsequently ruled that Senegal had breached tournament regulations by staging the walk-off, awarding the title to Morocco instead.
In a video statement released on Wednesday, Motsepe defended the Appeals Board’s decision, stating that it reflects CAF’s commitment to governance, ethics and accountability.
“I previously expressed my extreme disappointment with the incidents that took place at the final,” he said.
“It undermines the good work that CAF has done over many years to ensure integrity, respect, ethics, governance, as well as the credibility of the results of our football matches.
“We are still dealing with suspicion and mistrust. It is a legacy issue. When I became president, one of the major concerns was the impartiality, independence and respect of referees and match commissioners, and a lot of good work has been done,” he added.
Senegal has, however, indicated its intention to challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the coming days.
