The Confederation of African Football President Dr .Patrice Motsepe threw down an extraordinary challenge to critics, saying he would not only welcome a full investigation into corruption at CAF but actively encourage one, as he attempted to pour water on the fire ignited by the stripping of Senegal’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title.
Motsepe made the bold declaration in Dakar following a high-level meeting with Senegalese Football Federation president Abdoulaye Fall and Senegal head of state Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the first leg of a peace mission that takes him to Morocco on Thursday.
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“I would welcome any investigation into corruption at CAF, be it by a government or any institution,” Motsepe said. “In fact, I would encourage it. We will give them our full cooperation.”
The comments come after Senegal’s government formally demanded a corruption probe following the CAF Appeal Board’s March 17 ruling, which stripped the Teranga Lions of their AFCON crown and handed the title to Morocco.
That ruling has its roots in the chaotic final in Rabat on 18 January, where Senegal’s players walked off the pitch on the instruction of head coach Pape Thiaw to protest a refereeing decision, after Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala disallowed a legitimate Senegal goal before awarding Morocco a penalty in the closing minutes of normal time. Senegal had won the match 1-0 through Pape Gueye’s goal.
CAF subsequently ruled that Senegal had breached Articles 82 and 84 of AFCON regulations, which govern match abandonment and competition rule breaches, and declared Morocco the winners.
Motsepe pushed back firmly against any suggestion that Morocco received special treatment throughout the appeals process.
“Under no circumstances will any single country in Africa be treated more preferentially or more favourably than any other. That will never happen,” he said.
The CAF president also shut down questions about the ongoing legal dispute, deferring to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where Senegal has lodged an appeal.
“There is nothing I can tell you that I haven’t said already 10, 15, 20 times. You can ask me the same question 100 times, I’ll give you the same answer 100 times. I have an obligation to respect that the matter is now in front of the highest court in the world.”
‘Zero Tolerance For Corruption’
On the broader question of integrity in African football, Motsepe invoked a moral argument beyond sport.
“We cannot give our children the perception that if you want to succeed in life, be corrupt. There has to be zero tolerance for corruption. That’s the best gift we can give football in Africa – not just talking about corruption, but intervene, put the necessary laws in place and implement them.”
CAF did reject two requests from Morocco during the process – to rescind the trophy and medals awarded to Senegal’s players, and to strip the country of its $10 million prize money.
Senegal also paraded the trophy at Stade de France ahead of a friendly win over France on 27 March, despite Moroccan protests.
The dispute shows no sign of a swift resolution, with CAS yet to rule on Senegal’s appeal. Motsepe’s dual visit to both nations is widely seen as an effort to stabilise relationships at the highest level while CAF waits for the sport’s top arbitration body to have the final say.
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