Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe has defended the integrity of the appeals board that overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final and awarded a victory to Morocco.
He welcomed the intention of Senegal, who were stripped of the title as Caf’s appeals board awarded a 3-0 victory to hosts Morocco late on Tuesday, to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Afcon, held in Morocco in December and January, ended with a final marred by controversy. Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded hosts Morocco a penalty in stoppage time of regular play, after which Senegal’s players left the pitch for 15 minutes in protest.
Senegal returned to win the match 1-0 courtesy of a Pape Gueye goal in extra time.
“I previously expressed my extreme disappointment with the incidents that took place in the final,” Motsepe said in a video statement released by Caf.
“The important thing about what happened in the final is it undermines the good work Caf has done over many years to ensure there’s integrity, respect, ethics, governance and credibility of the results of our football matches.
“When I became president one of the major concerns was the impartiality, the independence and the respect of referees and match commissioners and a lot of good work has been done. But there continues to be suspicion because it’s a legacy issue.
“Another important matter these incidents brought to the fore is the independence and respect of our judicial bodies.
I’m told Senegal is going to appeal, which is very important.
— Caf president Patrice Motsepe
“We, in choosing the members of our judicial bodies, followed a different path than what had been the case before. We invited each of the 54 member associations and each of the six zones in Caf to give us names of respected judges and lawyers because it is important the decisions of the Caf disciplinary board and appeals board are viewed with respect and integrity.
“The composition of those bodies reflects some of the most respected lawyers and judges on the continent. But we will still have to deal with the perceptions and concerns about the integrity.”
Motsepe said the board’s “independence is reflected by the different decisions taken by the two bodies”.
“The disciplinary board took one decision and the appeals board a different one.
“I’m told Senegal is going to appeal, which is very important. Every one of the 54 countries has a right to appeal not only at Caf but also at the level at CAS, and we will respect the decision that is taken at the highest level.”
Motsepe said Caf takes the events of the Afcon final seriously and has started identifying the “areas where there were deficiencies and those that need improvement”.
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