Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe arrived in Dakar on Wednesday in a high-stakes visit aimed at easing tensions after CAF’s explosive decision last month to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and award the trophy to Morocco. The trip comes as the governing body faces mounting criticism in Senegal and a legal challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport over one of the most controversial rulings in recent African football history.
CAF had announced at the end of March that Motsepe would travel to both Senegal and Morocco to stress the need to “work together to grow African football.” On Wednesday, CAF said Motsepe was due to meet Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in Dakar before holding a press conference later in the day. Reuters reported that the visit was part of an effort to calm the fallout from the title dispute while reaffirming CAF’s commitment to transparency and unity among its 54 member associations.
The dispute stems from the AFCON final played in Rabat on January 18, which Senegal originally won 1-0 after extra time. But on March 17, CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match under Articles 82 and 84 of the tournament regulations after Senegalese players and staff walked off the pitch in protest when Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty. CAF consequently recorded the match as a 3-0 win for Morocco.
Senegal’s football federation has since appealed to CAS, seeking to annul the CAF ruling and restore Senegal as champions. CAS confirmed on March 25 that it had received the appeal against both CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and would now set the procedural timetable for the case. The legal battle has intensified outrage in Senegal, where the government has also called for an international investigation into suspected corruption within CAF.
Motsepe has tried to distance himself personally from the merits of the dispute, saying he would respect and implement whatever decision CAS ultimately reaches. In Dakar on Wednesday, he again called for unity and said no country would receive preferential treatment in CAF matters, while also expressing openness to scrutiny of the organisation’s governance.
