President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe has defended the famous continent’s governing board decision to award the Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco.
The controversy stems from the 2025 AFCON final, in which Senegal defeated Morocco 1–0 after extra time in a match that was completed despite brief interruptions.
During the 18th January final, some Senegal players temporarily left the pitch in protest over a disputed penalty but later returned, allowing the match to resume and conclude under the referee’s supervision.
While Morocco’s initial protest over the title was rejected by CAF’s disciplinary board, the appeals board later ruled that the interruption constituted grounds for a forfeit, overturning the result and awarding Morocco a 3–0 victory.
The decision has sparked global controversy due to its unprecedented nature, raising questions over transparency, fairness and credibility in CAF competitions.
“It is important that the decisions of our disciplinary board and appeals board are viewed with respect and integrity,” Motsepe said in a video statement released on Wednesday.
“If you look at the composition of those bodies, they reflect some of the most respected lawyers and judges on the continent.
“A critical factor is that not a single country in Africa will be treated in a manner that is more preferential, more advantageous or more favourable than any other country on the African continent,” he added.
“I previously expressed my extreme disappointment with the incidents that took place at the final.
“It undermines the good work that CAF has done over many years to ensure integrity, respect, ethics, governance and the credibility of the results of our football matches.
“We are still dealing with suspicion and mistrust. It’s 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.”
Motsepe confirmed CAF would respect any further ruling after the Senegalese Football Federation said it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, describing the decision as “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable”.
“I’m told that Senegal is going to appeal, which is very important. Every one of the 54 nations in Africa has a right to pursue appeals and we will adhere to and respect the decision taken at the highest level,” he concluded.
