President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has indicated Senegal is free to fight the decision stripping it of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, emphasizing that no country will be given preferential treatment.
Recall that controversy emerged on Tuesday after CAF changed the result of the AFCON 2025 final, depriving Senegal of the championship and awarding a 3–0 victory to Morocco after upholding an appeal by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
Senegal won the final 1-0 on January 18 thanks to an extra-time goal, but the match was marred by controversy after Senegalese players staged a 15-minute walk-off in protest over a late penalty granted to Morocco.
Citing Article 82 of its regulations, CAF concluded that the action amounted to forfeiture, leading to a reversal of the result.
Motsepe stated in a video interview aired on Wednesday that all 54 member nations have the ability to file challenges, including with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
He said, “And 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 their appeals and advance their interests, not only at the highest level in Africa, in CAF, but also at the highest body, which is the Court of Arbitration for Sport. And we will adhere to and respect the decision that’s taken at the highest level.”
Motsepe admitted that the fallout from the disputed final between Senegal and Morocco had dented confidence in African football.
He described the controversy as part of a longstanding challenge of distrust within African football, particularly around officiating and governance.
“I’ve been informed of the ruling by the CAF Appeals Board concerning the appeal by Morocco relating to the AFCON-Morocco 2025 final match, and I previously expressed my extreme disappointment with the incidents that took place at the final match.
“The important thing about what happened in that final match is it undermines the good work that CAF has done over many years to ensure that there’s integrity, that there’s respect, that there’s ethics, that there’s governance, as well as credibility of the results of our football matches.
“The occurrences at the final match are part of the issues we are still dealing with concerning suspicion and distrust. It’s a legacy issue.
“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’s a legacy issue,” he said.
Motsepe also noted that the issue has refocused attention on the independence of the CAF’s judicial bodies. According to him, the federation has subsequently taken a more open approach to appointing members to its disciplinary and appeals committees, soliciting nominations from member associations and regional zones.
He emphasized the CAF’s commitment to fairness throughout the continent.
“It is important that the decisions of our disciplinary board and the CAF appeals board are viewed with the respect and integrity that’s very important to us. But we will still have to deal with perceptions and concerns about integrity. It’s an ongoing issue. The CAF disciplinary board took one decision. The CAF appeals board took a totally different position.
“A critical factor is that not a single country in Africa will be treated in a manner that is more preferential or more advantageous or more favorable than any other country on the African continent,” he said.
