African football struggling with suspicion and mistrust - CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe

President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Dr Patrice Motsepe, has acknowledged ongoing trust and integrity issues within African football in the wake of Senegal losing the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.

Senegal, who secured a 1-0 win over Morocco in Rabat, briefly walked off the pitch for 14 minutes at the end of regulation time in protest of a penalty awarded to the hosts. The team returned to complete the match, eventually winning in extra time.

Although CAF’s Disciplinary Board initially rejected Morocco’s protest, the Appeal Board later ruled that Senegal had violated tournament regulations by staging the walkoff, subsequently awarding the title to Morocco.

In a video statement, Motsepe defended the Appeal Board’s ruling, citing the need to uphold the organization’s governance standards.

“I previously expressed my extreme disappointment with the incidents that took place ​at the final," Motsepe said on Wednesday.

"It undermines the good work that CAF has done over many, many years to ensure that there's integrity, there's respect, there's ethics, there's governance, as well as the credibility of the results of ​our football matches.

“We are still dealing with suspicion and mistrust. It's a legacy issue. When I became president, one ​of the major concerns was the impartiality, independence and the respect of referees and match commissioners, and a lot of good work ‌has ⁠been done,” he insisted.

Senegal, however, has indicated plans to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the coming days.