19.3.2026
Confederation of African Football president, Patrice Motsepe, said Senegal’s approach to the Court of Sports Arbitration to appeal the verdict of its Appeal Board is welcomed.
Mr. Motsepe and CAF have been under fire since its Board of Appeal overturned the decision of its disciplinary committee and stripped Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title. The Lions of Teranga’s 1-0 victory over Morocco in the Rabat final in January was changed by its appeals board to a 3-0 default win for the host nation.
Motsepe said the different conclusions reached by CAF’s internal bodies reflects the independence of its judicial processes.
He said CAF had appointed judges and legal experts from across its 54 member nations to ensure integrity and neutrality in decision.
“The CAF disciplinary board took one decision. The CAF appeals board took a totally different position, and I’m told that Senegal is going to appeal which is very important,” he said.
Motsepe says the African football body will “adhere” to and “respect” any decision taken by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“A critical factor is that not a single country in Africa will be treated in a manner that is more preferential or more advantageous or more favourable than any other country on the African continent,” he added.
Motsepe added that CAF’s priority was to ensure that supporters across Africa viewed its decisions as fair and credible.
“It is important for us that ordinary football supporters … regard the decisions of our judicial bodies as fair, with integrity and impartiality,” he said. Agency reports