Africa: Motsepe Will Respect Court's Ruling On Senegal's Afcon Title

30 March 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Dylan Bettencourt
  • Senegal beat hosts Morocco 1-0 in the Afcon final but lost their title after Morocco appealed the result to CAF.
  • CAF president Patrice Motsepe says he will follow whatever the Court of Arbitration for Sport decides on Senegal's title appeal.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe says the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will rule on whether Senegal can get back their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title.

"I will respect and implement the CAS decision. My personal opinion regarding the matter is irrelevant," Motsepe said at a press conference in Cairo after a meeting of CAF executives.

Senegal beat hosts Morocco 1-0 in the Afcon final last month. Morocco appealed and CAF's appeals body changed the result to a 3-0 win for Morocco.

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The issue started during the final in Rabat when Morocco were awarded a last-minute penalty. Senegalese players, head coach Pape Thiaw and his staff walked off the pitch in protest.

When they came back, Brahim Diaz stepped up and missed the penalty. Pape Gueye then scored in extra time to give Senegal the title.

A CAF disciplinary committee fined several figures from both teams but left the original result alone. Morocco appealed again. This time the result changed.

Motsepe said the appeals board is made up of independent judges and lawyers.

When Senegal played Peru in a 2026 World Cup warm-up in Paris, they paraded the Afcon trophy in front of the crowd. They wore shirts with two stars, one for their 2022 Afcon win and one for the disputed February win.

Motsepe said he will travel to both Senegal and Morocco, though he gave no dates. He said the visits will focus on working together to grow African football.

CAF said it is changing its rules to build trust in referees, VAR operators and judicial bodies, and to stop similar incidents at future finals.

Nigeria-born Samson Adamu will take over as caretaker general secretary. He replaces Veron Mosengo-Omba from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who has reached the mandatory retirement age of 66.

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