CAF defers to CAS as AFCON dispute exposes governance strains

The Africa Cup of Nations dispute has moved beyond the pitch and into legal territory, with CAF president Patrice Motsepe making clear that the final decision now rests outside the organisation.

“I will respect and implement the CAS decision. My personal opinion regarding the matter is irrelevant,” Motsepe said on Sunday in Cairo, referring to Senegal’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The appeal follows a sequence of reversals that have left the tournament outcome in question. Senegal had originally secured a 1-0 win over Morocco in the final in Rabat, with Pape Gueye scoring in extra time after Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed a late penalty.

The match itself was already marked by disruption. Senegal’s players and staff briefly walked off the pitch after Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, before returning to complete the game.

CAF’s disciplinary committee later issued fines to figures from both teams but did not alter the result. That changed after Morocco appealed, with the CAF appeals body overturning the outcome and awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory instead.

Motsepe emphasised that the appeal board operates independently, composed of judges and legal experts, distancing the presidency from the ruling itself.

The fallout has continued to play out publicly. When Senegal faced Peru in a World Cup warm-up match in Paris, the team paraded the AFCON trophy and wore shirts featuring two stars, one for their 2022 title and another for the disputed February win.

The dispute has highlighted broader governance concerns within African football, prompting CAF to signal internal reforms. Motsepe said he plans to visit both Senegal and Morocco to reinforce the need for cooperation, while the organisation announced it would revise its statutes and regulations.

According to a CAF statement, those changes are intended to “strengthen trust and confidence in [African] referees, VAR operators and judicial bodies” and ensure that “the incidents that took place at the final… do not happen again.”

At the same time, leadership changes within CAF add another layer to the moment. Veron Mosengo-Omba, a long-serving and controversial general secretary, has stepped down after reaching the organisation’s mandatory retirement age.

In a statement, he framed the decision as a personal one.

“After over 30 years of an international professional career dedicated to promoting an ideal form of football that brings people together, educates, and creates opportunities for hope, I have decided to step down from my position as Secretary General of CAF to devote myself to more personal projects,” Mosengo-Omba said.

“Now that I have been able to dispel the suspicions that some people have gone to great lengths to cast on me, I can retire with peace of mind and without constraint, leaving the CAF more prosperous than ever,” he added.

Mosengo-Omba’s tenure had drawn criticism, including allegations of a toxic workplace environment, though an internal investigation cleared him of wrongdoing. His departure comes after mounting pressure, both publicly and within CAF’s executive structures.

Motsepe announced that Samson Adamu will take over as caretaker general secretary, as the organisation navigates both the legal challenge over the AFCON final and internal efforts to restore confidence in its decision-making processes.