'No country will be treated preferentially' – Motsepe pledges fairness amid Senegal AFCON controversy
· GhanaSoccernetConfederation of African Football (CAF) President Dr Patrice Motsepe has issued a firm pledge of impartiality, declaring that no member nation will receive preferential treatment.
This follows the decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 AFCON title by the Appeals Board.
"No single African country will be treated in a manner that is preferential or advantageous or more favourable than any other country on the African continent," Motsepe stated.
The declaration comes in response to allegations of corruption and favouritism following CAF's unprecedented March 17 ruling, which saw its appeals board uphold Morocco's protest and declare the Atlas Lions 3-0 winners of the final. The decision stripped Senegal of the title they won on the pitch in January, triggering fury in Dakar.
The Senegalese government has described the ruling as "unprecedented and exceptionally serious", calling for an "independent international investigation" into suspected corruption within CAF's governing bodies. The Senegalese Football Federation has labelled the decision "iniquitous, unprecedented and unacceptable" and confirmed it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Motsepe's remarks appeared aimed at pushing back against perceptions that Morocco, as a powerful North African nation with significant influence, received undue benefit from the ruling. The dispute stems from the January 18 final in Rabat, where Senegal players walked off for 17 minutes during stoppage time to protest a late penalty awarded to Morocco after VAR intervention.
Senegal returned to the pitch, Brahim Diaz missed the spot kick, and the Teranga Lions scored the winner in extra time. CAF's Appeals Board ruled that Senegal's walkout breached tournament regulations, deeming that the team had forfeited the match.
Federation Secretary General Abdoulaye Seydou Sow has vowed to fight on, declaring that "the fight is far from over" and that Senegal will "defend its rights to the very end".