The president of African football’s governing body defended the organization’s integrity and impartiality after Senegal’s government called for an international probe into “suspected corruption” following the stripping of the country’s Africa Cup of Nations title.
Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, addressed the controversy Wednesday, explaining the ruling by CAF’s appeals board that reversed Senegal’s 1-0 extra-time victory in the January final. The board awarded a 3-0 default win to host nation Morocco after Senegal walked off the field.
“The CAF disciplinary board made one decision. The CAF appeals board reached a completely different conclusion. I’m told Senegal intends to appeal, which is very important,” Motsepe said in a video posted on CAF’s website. “We will adhere to and respect the decision taken at the highest level.”
Motsepe emphasized that members of both the disciplinary and appeals boards are selected from lists submitted by each of CAF’s 54 member associations.
“If you look at the composition of those bodies, they reflect some of the most respected lawyers and judges on the continent,” he said. “These are people who have integrity and have a track record. The independence is reflected by the decisions that were taken by the two bodies.”
In January, CAF’s disciplinary board imposed fines totaling more than $1 million against the Senegalese and Moroccan federations. It issued suspensions against the Senegal coach and several players but did not interfere with the outcome of the final.
CAF’s appeals board on Tuesday ruled that Senegal forfeited the Jan. 18 final by leaving the field of play without the referee’s authorization, and that Morocco should be awarded a 3-0 win.
Most of the Senegal team left the field for nearly 10 minutes while Senegal fans clashed with stewards behind one of the goals in protest of a controversial penalty awarded to Morocco after Senegal had a goal ruled out. The players returned, Morocco missed the penalty, and Senegal scored in extra time to win the match.
“What happened in that final match undermines the good work CAF has done over many years to ensure integrity, respect, ethics, governance, and credibility in the results of our football matches,” Motsepe said. He added that the incidents in the final exposed CAF’s ongoing efforts to address suspicion and distrust.
“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,” he said. “The fact that there continue to be suspicions is because it’s a legacy issue. It’s something that has been there for many years, and we consistently deal with it because it’s critically important.”
The Senegalese football federation said it will appeal Tuesday’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the Senegalese government criticized what it called a “manifestly erroneous interpretation of the regulations, leading to a grossly illegal and deeply unjust decision.”
Motsepe defended CAF against perceptions of favoritism toward Morocco, which is a 2030 World Cup co-host and has invested heavily to become a football superpower.
“Not a single country in Africa will be treated in a manner that is more preferential, advantageous, or favorable than any other country on the continent,” Motsepe said. “We take what happened at the final match in Morocco very seriously.”
He added that CAF had already taken steps to address deficiencies.
“We have very high standards that we set for ourselves. It is important that ordinary football supporters and spectators in every one of the 54 countries in Africa, in their judgment, not CAF’s judgment, not my judgment, regard the decisions of our judicial bodies as fair,” Motsepe said.
