Motsepe’s stance on CAF decision to strip Senegal of AFCON title & hand it to Morocco

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe has welcomed the decision to hand Morocco the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, title at the expense of Senegal.

The Teranga Lions won the final played two months ago in Rabat, but the Atlas Lions later appealed, insisting the West African nation had forfeited the game by leaving the pitch following a controversial penalty.

Two months later, the CAF Appeals Board handed Morocco a 3–0 win, a move that did not go down well with Senegal, who have promised to appeal.

While Morocco have celebrated the unprecedented decision, the majority of the fans in Mzansi and the continent at large believe CAF made a mistake by stripping Senegal of the title.

Motsepe lauds board for taking AFCON trophy from Senegal

“What happened in the final match in AFCON 2025 exposes the work that we are still dealing with in terms of suspicion and distrust. It’s a legacy issue,” Motsepe said in a statement.

“When I became President, one of the major concerns was the impartiality, independence and the respect of referees, match commissioners, where a lot of good work has been done.

But there continues to be suspicions, because it’s a legacy issue that’s been there for many years, and we consistently deal with that; which is critically important.

“We, in choosing the members in our judicial bodies, followed a different path. We invited each member association and the six regional zones in CAF to give names of judges and respected lawyers,” the Mamelodi Sundowns owner concluded.