As the African football fraternity continues to digest CAF’s decision to strip Senegal of its AFCON title and hand it to Morocco, several experts and former coaches have openly criticised the governing body.
From European media commentators to African-based football analysts and coaches, critics argue that the Egypt-based authority has seriously embarrassed the continent and damaged the credibility of the sport.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe announced the dramatic development on Tuesday. Under his leadership, the governing body dethroned the Lions of Teranga and withdrew the continental crown.
The CAF Appeal Board later confirmed the ruling in favour of Morocco. The board declared that Senegal forfeited the match after their players marched off the pitch in Rabat during the January final against the hosts.
Manager Pape Thiaw’s men had secured a 1-0 victory in extra time. Tensions escalated after officials awarded Morocco a controversial stoppage-time penalty. Senegal’s players left the field in protest, delaying the match for more than 15 minutes. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy ultimately saved the spot-kick.
Turkey-based coach Muhsin Ertugral, who previously worked with Kaizer Chiefs and now serves on FIFA’s Technical Committee, did not hesitate to question CAF’s move to hand the trophy to Morocco.
“What just happened is about the credibility of football. This is not a disgrace. I think it is worse,” Ertugral wrote on LinkedIn.
He acknowledged that modern football accepts referee decisions can be reviewed through VAR, disciplinary panels, or federation rulings. However, he warned against altering final results after the match has ended.
“You also accept a difficult truth: the game does not always end with the final whistle. It is a reality of modern football, and it is very uncomfortable. You cannot play 120 minutes, finish a final, and then suddenly question the result. Either you trust the process on the field, or we all admit the system is broken. There is no middle ground for me.
“Correcting mistakes is part of modern football. But rewriting an important outcome after the game is over opens a dangerous door. The issue is not the team. The issue is the system behind the decision. Today Senegal. Tomorrow? I don’t think it is justice. The responsibility is not with the players. It sits with CAF.”
Senegal’s star striker Sadio Mane described the decision as an embarrassment for African football and raised concerns about corruption in the game.
“What has happened here goes too far. This is not the football we fight for, nor the Africa we believe in,” Mane posted on Instagram.
He added that off-field decisions now determine titles. “There is too much corruption in our sport, and that is killing the passion of millions of fans across the continent. The players give their all on the pitch, but decisions off the pitch determine the outcome of matches and titles.”
Côte d’Ivoire and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba also criticised the ruling. He argued that such a decision would not occur in European competitions.
“Things like this only happen in Africa. I’m not sure this would happen in the Euros. It’s a disgrace to Africa and football. A country like this shouldn’t be allowed to host a football tournament again. Senegal is the real winner, we all know,” Drogba said, according to SowetanLIVE.
Former Senegal and Ghana coach Claude Le Roy also condemned CAF’s leadership. “I couldn’t have imagined for a second that CAF could go so far down this path of absurdity,” Le Roy told L’Equipe.
He criticised how CAF operates under Motsepe’s leadership and claimed Morocco had received favourable treatment from the beginning, despite acknowledging their strong tournament performance.
Sports law expert Pius Ndubuokwu also weighed in. He argued that CAF lacks sufficiently specialised adjudicators for such complex matters. This follows the Appeal Board’s decision to award Morocco a 3-0 victory after ruling that Senegal forfeited the match due to misconduct.
Ndubuokwu maintained that CAF misapplied Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations. “Sports law includes business law, contracts, intellectual property, criminal law for match-fixing, anti-doping and so on,” he told SABC Sport.
“However, we must have people who are knowledgeable in specific areas of sports law. A general lawyer cannot simply sit on a CAF Appeals body. We must bring in experts in football regulations. I’m not saying they aren’t competent, but CAF needs to invest in educating members of its judicial bodies.
Former SAFA CEO and current Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) arbitrator Raymond Hack believes Senegal could overturn the ruling, although he expects the process to take time.
Speaking to ESPN, Hack said CAS may follow precedent from the 2019 CAF Champions League dispute between Wydad Casablanca and Espérance de Tunis.
In that case, CAS ruled against CAF’s executive decision to replay the second leg after Wydad walked off following a disallowed goal amid VAR issues.
“In my opinion, I don’t think the Court of Arbitration will uphold the decision of the Appeal Board because there’s precedent. In 2019, Wydad were in a similar situation, where CAS ruled that the referee’s decision is final. Only a referee can end a game,” Hack said.
He further argued that the Appeal Board incorrectly interpreted Article 84. “They say it’s in terms of Article 84. Well, 84 is very clear. It says that a team that contravenes Articles 82 and 83 shall be eliminated. It does not say 82 or 83,” Hack concluded. “In my opinion, I don’t think that Morocco will be declared the winner.”
As debate intensifies across African football, the Senegalese Football Federation has vowed to appeal the decision immediately at CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The ruling continues to divide opinion, raising wider questions about governance, regulation, and credibility within African football.
