AFCON 2025 final: CAF president issues strong statement following sanctions | OneFootball

AFCON 2025 final: CAF president issues strong statement following sanctions

The AFCON 2025 final continues to make headlines. Just two days after CAF imposed sanctions on Morocco and Senegal, the president of African football’s governing body has released a powerful statement.

On Wednesday night, CAF officially announced the sanctions against Senegal and Morocco following the chaotic AFCON 2025 final. The penalties were much less severe than expected for Senegal, who ultimately got off relatively lightly. On the other hand, Morocco was hit hard with tough sanctions, and their appeal for a forfeit victory based on articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations was rejected by CAF.

With the Moroccan federation already filing an appeal, the story is far from over. Indeed, this Friday, CAF president Patrice Motsepe addressed the situation with an official statement. He announced that he had called for an emergency meeting with the Executive Committee (COMEX) to revisit the sanctions.

"I am absolutely determined, just like the CAF Executive Committee (COMEX) and the presidents of the CAF Member Associations representing 54 African countries, to preserve and enhance the integrity, reputation, and global competitiveness of African football and CAF competitions. I was deeply disappointed by the unacceptable incidents that occurred during the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025. I have taken note of the decision rendered by the CAF Disciplinary Committee, announced on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, and I fully respect all decisions made by our judicial bodies, with which I will strictly comply. I have convened a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee (COMEX), the highest decision-making body in CAF outside the annual Ordinary General Assembly, to review CAF regulations, including the Disciplinary Code. This review aims to ensure that CAF’s judicial bodies have sufficient authority to impose appropriate and deterrent sanctions in cases of serious violations of the CAF Statutes, Regulations, and Disciplinary Code, as well as for any behavior that seriously damages the reputation, integrity, respect, and global competitiveness of African football and CAF competitions. In recent years, we have significantly improved the quality, integrity, independence, skills, and expertise of African referees, VAR operators, and match commissioners. We are committed to allocating additional financial resources and enhancing technical expertise to ensure that the quality, integrity, impartiality, skills, and expertise of African referees, VAR operators, and match commissioners are on par with the best in the world. One of the first decisions I made upon taking office as CAF President was to ensure the independence and impartiality of the CAF Referees Committee, which is composed of members nominated by the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as the continent’s most qualified and respected referees. It is essential that African referees, VAR operators, and match commissioners are perceived, respected, and recognized as impartial, fair, and world-class. I am convinced that, with the additional reforms and far-reaching measures we are implementing, African football and CAF competitions will continue to be respected, admired, and counted among the best in the world.", he wrote.