The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe, has broken his silence after the federation on Tuesday, March 16, stripped Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations AFCON 2025 title and crowned Morocco champions, two months after the acrimonious conclusion of the tournament.
In a video posted on CAF’s official YouTube channel on Wednesday, March 18, Motsepe defended the independence of CAF’s judicial bodies while acknowledging the existence of “legacy distrust” issues that persist to cast doubt over key decisions.
“When I became president, one of the major concerns was the impartiality, the independence, and the respect of referees and match commissioners. A lot of good work has been done, but there continues to be suspicion because it is a legacy issue,” he said.
Motsepe Defends CAF After Awarding AFCON 2025 Title to Morocco Over Senegal
Motsepe pointed to the differing outcomes reached by the CAF Disciplinary Board and the Appeals Board as evidence that the system is functioning independently.
“The independence of CAF’s judicial organs is clearly reflected in the different decisions taken by the disciplinary commission and the appeals commission. The CAF disciplinary board took one decision, and the CAF appeals board took a totally different position,” he said.
Motsepe described the appeals panel as comprising highly respected jurists and magistrates from across the continent, selected by all 54 member associations and chaired by a judge who operated independently of CAF leadership.
He explained that the federation invited each member association and every zone in CAF to submit names of respected judges and lawyers, emphasizing that it is crucial for the decisions of both the disciplinary and appeals boards to be seen as fair, credible, and conducted with integrity.
Also Read: Senegal’s AFCON 2025 Win Overturned, Morocco Awarded 3-0
AFCON Results and Why Senegal’s Win was Overturned
Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in January’s final, but the CAF overturned the result on Tuesday after Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest when hosts Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty.
The players returned after a 17-minute delay, and Brahim Díaz’s ‘Panenka’ penalty for Morocco was saved before Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner for Senegal.
Following an appeal by the Moroccan FA (FRMF), CAF ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match, with the result recorded as 3-0 in Morocco’s favour.
In a statement, CAF said Senegal was “declared to have forfeited the final match,” with “the result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.
CAF said Senegal infringed on article 82 of AFCON’s regulations, which states that if a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authorisation, it will be considered the loser and eliminated from the competition.
Article 84 states that any team that violates Article 82 will be permanently eliminated and lose the match 3-0.
Motsepe noted that the incidents that took place at the final match undermine the good work that CAF has done over many years to ensure integrity, respect, ethics, governance, and credibility of our football matches.
The federation President stressed that no African country will receive preferential treatment.
He added that CAF is taking the events of the AFCON final very seriously and has already begun implementing measures to address identified deficiencies and ensure necessary improvements.
Also Read: CAF Weighs AFCON 2027 Postponement to 2028 Over Host Readiness Concerns
Senegal Govt Alleges Corruption Over AFON, Seeks Appeal
This comes after Senegal’s government called for an international independent inquiry into suspected corruption at CAF.
A statement from the Secretary of State to Senegal’s Prime Minister claimed the ruling “contradicts” the principles of sporting ethics. Sky Sports News has approached CAF for comment.
The Senegalese Football Federation has announced its intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Responding via a statement on X, the Senegal federation branded the decision “iniquitous, unprecedented and unacceptable”, saying it “threw discredit on African football.”
“For the defence of the rights and interests of Senegalese football, the federation will engage, with the shortest delay, an appeal procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne,” the statement added.
