Violence at AFCON 2025: CAF announces a change in regulations | OneFootball

CAF decides to change its rules after clashes at AFCON 2025

Violence at AFCON 2025: CAF announces a change in regulations

Patrice Motsepe's CAF is taking matters into its own hands by deciding to change the rules regarding African football.

After the violence caused by Senegalese supporters during the AFCON 2025 final against Morocco, and the Senegalese players leaving the pitch in protest against the refereeing, heavy sanctions were expected. However, the disciplinary committee was rather lenient with Senegal, who had anticipated harsher penalties.

Days after the announcement of the sanctions, CAF President Patrice Motsepe issued a statement that seemed to imply the penalties had not been strict enough in his view. This Friday, during the CAF general assembly, the CAF president confirmed that the organization will indeed amend its regulations to toughen the rules and prevent such incidents from happening again.

"At AFCON in Morocco, we never want to see such behavior again. This will never happen again, and we will not tolerate it. There will be zero tolerance for such cases. This is non-negotiable. We must be able to impose sanctions that truly match the seriousness of these violations. We are going to amend CAF's internal regulations, the rules of the game, and ensure there are appropriate sanctions, adequate penalties for severe and flagrant breaches of our rules and statutes, and be able to restore the image of African football." the announcement stated.