CAF President Motsepe Speaks on AFCON 2025 Controversy, Confirms Senegal’s Right to Appeal Morocco Decision

The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has stated that Senegal national football team retains the legal right to challenge the controversial ruling that stripped it of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, maintaining that no nation in Africa will receive preferential treatment.

In a video interview released by CAF and monitored by PulseNets on Wednesday evening, Motsepe addressed the fallout from the highly disputed Africa Cup of Nations 2025 Final between the Senegalese side and the Morocco national football team.

“And I’m told that Senegal is going to appeal, which is very important,” he said. “Every one of the 54 nations in Africa has a right to pursue their appeals and their advance interests, not only at the highest level in Africa, in CAF, but also the highest body, which is the Court of Arbitration for Sport. And we will adhere and respect the decision that’s taken at the highest level.”

PulseNets learnt that the CAF President acknowledged the scale of controversy surrounding the final, admitting that the situation has dented confidence in African football 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 incidences that took place at the final match,” he said.

He further noted that the integrity of the sport has been brought into question.

“The important thing of 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.”

PulseNets gathered that Motsepe described the incident as part of a deeper and longstanding credibility challenge confronting African football.

“The occurrences, the incidence at the final match of the AFCON-Morocco exposers is the work that we are still dealing with concerning the suspicion and distrust. It’s a legacy issue.”

He further admitted that doubts around officiating and governance did not originate from the 2025 final.

“When I became president one of the major concerns was the impartiality, the independence and the respect of referees and match commissioners,” he said. “A lot of good good work has been done but there’s also that continues to be suspicion because it’s a legacy issue.”

“It’s something that has been there for many many years and we consistently deal with that because that’s critically important,” he said.

Motsepe also highlighted concerns about the independence of CAF’s judicial structures, PulseNets reported.

“Another important matter that these incidences at the final match brought to the fore is the independence and the respect of our judicial bodies,” he added.

Providing insight into reforms introduced during his tenure, he explained that the selection process for judicial officials had been significantly revised.

“We, in choosing the members of our judicial bodies, we followed a different path, different from what had been the case before,” he said. “We invited each member association and we invited every zone, the six regional areas or the six zones in CAF, to give us names of respected judges and respected lawyers.”

He emphasised that credibility and trust in decisions remain central to CAF’s institutional reforms.

“It is important that the decisions of our disciplinary board, the CAF disciplinary board and the decisions of the CAF appeals board, is viewed with the respect and integrity that’s very important to us.”

“So if you look at the composition of those bodies they reflect some of the most respected lawyers and judges on the continent.”

Despite these measures, PulseNets learnt that Motsepe admitted lingering doubts remain among stakeholders.

“But we will still have to deal with this, with the perceptions and the concerns about the integrity. It’s an ongoing issue,” he said.

“We are very clear at CAF that we are enormously committed to ensure that not only in terms of what we do because we’ve implemented best practises, we’ve identified judges and lawyers from every region… to make sure that these are people who have integrity and have a track record.”

He also pointed to differing rulings by CAF’s internal bodies as evidence of institutional independence.

“And partly the independence is reflected by the decisions that were taken by the two bodies,” he said. “The CAF disciplinary board took one decision. The CAF appeals board took a totally different position.”

Reaffirming CAF’s position on fairness, he insisted that no African country would be favoured over another.

“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 favourable than any other country on the African continent.”

PulseNets reported that CAF has already initiated internal reviews following the controversial final.

“We take what has happened at the final match in Morocco during the Total Energies CAF Morocco 2025, we take it very, very seriously,” he said. “And we have already started with very important steps to make sure that those areas which have been identified as deficiencies… that the necessary resolutions are passed.”

He concluded by stressing that public trust would ultimately determine the credibility of CAF’s decisions.

“We have very high standards that we set for ourselves,” he said. “It is important for us that ordinary football supporters and spectators in every one of the 54 countries in Africa, in their judgement, not in CAF’s judgement, regard the decisions of our judicial bodies as fair, with integrity and impartiality.

“And what is equally important that they regard our referees, our VR operators, and our match commissioners as people who are fair and just.”

“And those decisions that are taken reflect the impartiality and independence that’s critically important.”

Background

PulseNets earlier reported that CAF overturned the outcome of the AFCON 2025 final, stripping Senegal of victory and awarding a 3–0 win to Morocco after upholding an appeal filed by the Moroccan football authorities.

Also Read: CAF Fines Senegal and Morocco Over $1 Million After Chaotic 2025 AFCON Final

The ruling, obtained by PulseNets, followed findings that Senegal breached Article 82 of CAF regulations during the match, resulting in forfeiture.

The decision has triggered widespread reactions across Africa, with increasing calls for transparency and accountability, while sources who spoke to PulseNets indicate that Senegal is preparing to approach the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to overturn the ruling.