Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe said he would welcome any investigation into alleged corruption within the organization, insisting there is nothing to hide after meeting Senegalese officials in Dakar on Wednesday.
The push for scrutiny comes after Senegal’s government last month called for a formal probe following the decision by the CAF Appeal Board to strip the country of its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and award it to Morocco.
The ruling stemmed from chaotic scenes during the Jan. 18 final in Rabat, which Senegal initially won 1-0 before leaving the pitch for several minutes in protest of a late refereeing call.
Motsepe met representatives of the Senegalese Football Federation and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, urging unity in the aftermath of the controversy. He is scheduled to travel to Morocco on Thursday for similar talks aimed at easing tensions.
"I would welcome any investigation into corruption at CAF, be it by a government or any institution," Motsepe told reporters. "In fact, I would encourage it. We will give them our full cooperation.
"I have been told there were problems in the past, and we intervened. It is not just in football, but in business and politics too. We cannot give our children the perception that if you want to succeed in life, be corrupt. There has to be zero tolerance for corruption.
"That's the best gift we can give football in Africa. Not just talking about corruption, but intervening, putting the necessary laws in place and implementing them."
Motsepe would not be drawn on the matter between Senegal and Morocco, which is now before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"There is nothing I can tell you that I haven't said already 10, 15, 20 times. You can ask me the same question 100 times, I'll give you the same answer 100 times. I have an obligation to respect that the matter is now before the highest court in world sport."
Motsepe quashed any suggestion that Morocco had been treated favorably in the appeal process.
"Under no circumstances will any single country in Africa be treated more preferentially or more favorably than any other. That will never happen," he said.
"We are confident we will come out of these challenges more united among the 54 nations in Africa."
