Reacting to the Senegal government’s decision to call for an international investigation, CAF president Patrice Motsepe has defended the African football confederation’s integrity. Senegal’s decision came after CAF stripped them of the AFCON title and awarded it to Morocco.
According to the regulations, Senegal forfeited the final after many players walked off in second-half stoppage time.
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In a video uploaded on CAF’s website, Motsepe said, “The CAF disciplinary board took one decision. The CAF appeals board took a totally different position. And I’m told that Senegal is going to appeal, which is very important.”
“We will adhere and respect the decision that’s taken at the highest level.”
‘These are people who have integrity’
The Senegal government hinted at corruption within the CAF hierarchy. The CAF chief said, “If you look at the composition of those bodies, they reflect some of the most respected lawyers and judges on the continent.”
“These are people who have integrity and have a track record. … the independence is reflected by the decisions that were taken by the two bodies.”
The controversy comes from the chaos in the final’s second-half stoppage time when Morocco were awarded a penalty. The score was 0-0, and in response, many Senegal players walked off the pitch in protest. They were led by their head coach, Pape Thiaw, and were away for 15 minutes.
They finally returned, and Brahim Diaz missed the penalty. Then, Pape Gueye got the winner for Senegal in extra time in a 1-0 victory.
“What happened in that final match is it undermines the good work that CAF has done over many, many years to ensure that there’s integrity, that there is respect, that there’s ethics, that there’s governance, as well as credibility in the results of our football matches,” said Motsepe.
“It’s a legacy issue. When I became president one of the major concerns was the impartiality, the independence, and the respect of referees and match commissioners, and a lot of good, good work has been done.
“That there continues to be suspicions because it’s a legacy issue, it’s something that has been there for many, many years and we consistently deal with that because that’s critically important,” he added.
