CAF president Patrice Motsepe says they will respect and implement any decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after it confirmed that Senegal has registered an appeal against the decision which saw CAF strip them of their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title.
An arbitration panel will be set up and a procedural schedule set, with no hearing date yet communicated.
The decision to strip Senegal of its title has sparked strong reactions over the past few weeks. CAF’s appeal board awarded the 2025 title to the host nation, Morocco, ruling that Senegal effectively forfeited the match when the players walked off the pitch in protest against a late penalty awarded to Morocco.
Motsepe emphasised that CAF will respect any decision that may come from CAS and implement it.
“I may not express any opinions on whose case is right or whose case is wrong. I may say I was a bit surprised because the media said ‘the CAF president supports the decision’. I respect the decision, whether I agree or disagree. Whether I like it or not is irrelevant,” Motsepe said at a press conference in Cairo on Sunday.
“The independence of the judicial bodies is something that we respect. My personal opinion is irrelevant, whether I agree with the decision or not.
“What we want to say is that the matter is before CAS, which is the highest decision-making body for football in the world.
“We will respect and implement whatever decision is taken by CAS, but CAF has 54-member associations on the continent. We will continue to engage this issue and we now have to put it to the side.”
Meanwhile, CAF also revealed that they are implementing changes and improvements to the CAF statutes and regulations that will strengthen trust and confidence in referees, VAR operators and judicial bodies.
“These changes and improvements to the CAF statutes and regulations will also ensure that the incident that took place at the final match of Afcon in Morocco does not happen again,” the statement read.
Sowetan
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