Patrice Motsepe has moved to defend CAF’s legal process after the body’s explosive AFCON ruling, sharpening scrutiny over trust and governance in African football.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — 2026-03-19
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has defended the decision to strip Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations title and declare Morocco champions, saying the ruling reflected the independence of CAF’s judicial bodies, according to CAF and Reuters.
CAF’s Appeal Board said on March 17 that Senegal forfeited the January 18 final in Rabat under Articles 82 and 84 after the team left the field for 14 minutes in protest over a stoppage-time penalty awarded to Morocco. The board replaced Senegal’s 1-0 extra-time win with a 3-0 result in Morocco’s favor.
In a CAF video statement, Motsepe said the case was handled by independent legal bodies and said different rulings by the disciplinary and appeal panels showed that the process was functioning, Reuters reported. He also acknowledged that African football continues to face trust and integrity concerns.
Senegal rejected the ruling as “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable” and said it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, according to Reuters. Senegal’s government has also called for an international inquiry.
Morocco welcomed the outcome, saying its position was based on enforcing competition rules rather than disputing Senegal’s on-field performance, Reuters reported.
The case has become a major test of CAF’s credibility because it shifts attention from the match itself to how African football handles protests, appeals, and rule enforcement at the highest level. That matters across the continent because AFCON is CAF’s flagship competition.
Senegal’s CAS appeal is the next formal step. Unless that ruling is overturned, Morocco remains the official champion.
Leave a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
