CAF president Patrice Motsepe says he would welcome any investigation into corruption allegations inside African football’s governing body as the fallout from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final keeps growing. He made that position clear during a visit to Dakar, where he met Senegalese officials amid rising pressure on CAF.
Motsepe said any government or institution that wants to investigate should go ahead, and he promised full cooperation from CAF. He also said the body would act immediately if any corruption was found.
Why the crisis exploded
The dispute comes from the AFCON final in Rabat on January 18, 2026. Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 after extra time on the pitch, but CAF’s Appeal Board later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match because players walked off in protest over a late penalty decision before returning. CAF converted the result into a 3-0 win for Morocco and awarded them the title.
That decision triggered a fierce response in Senegal. The Senegalese government called for an international inquiry into suspected corruption at CAF, while the Senegalese Football Federation appealed the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
CAF now faces a credibility test
The case has become bigger than one final. It is now a test of trust in CAF’s governance, regulations and crisis handling. CAF plans to revise its tournament regulations after the final fiasco, which shows the damage the controversy has already done to the competition’s credibility.
Motsepe tried to calm that wider tension in Dakar. He said no country would receive special treatment under his leadership and stressed the need for unity across African football. But the pressure remains live because the title dispute is still moving through legal channels.
What comes next
The next major step is the CAS process, where Senegal wants CAF’s decision overturned and its title restored. Until that happens, the AFCON final will keep hanging over CAF, and every governance statement from Motsepe will carry extra weight.
