CAF President Patrice Motsepe defends decision to strip Senegal of AFCON title

The President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, has come out in defence of the decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, stressing that the ruling underscores the autonomy of CAF’s judicial bodies.

His remarks follow mounting criticism from stakeholders after CAF’s Appeals Board overturned the initial outcome of the tournament.

In a video released on Wednesday, Motsepe pointed to differing verdicts by CAF’s internal bodies as evidence of institutional independence.

"The Independence is reflected by the decisions that were taken by the two bodies," he said in a video released on Wednesday.

"The CAF Disciplinary Board took one decision. The CAF Appeals Board took a totally different decision," Motsepe added.

The controversy stems from a ruling announced on Tuesday, March 17, when the Appeals Board upheld Morocco’s protest and rescinded Senegal’s title from the January final.

CAF determined that Senegal breached competition regulations after staging a 17-minute walk-off in protest of a stoppage-time penalty awarded to Morocco.

As a consequence, Morocco were awarded a 3-0 victory, handing them their first AFCON triumph in five decades.

Senegal, however, are not backing down and are expected to challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the coming days.