Dr. Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), released a video statement through CAF's official account, addressing the relevant matters regarding the reversal of the Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco.
Dr. Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football:
I have been informed of the ruling made by the CAF Appeals Board on Morocco's appeal against the Africa Cup of Nations final. Earlier, I also expressed my deep disappointment at the incidents that occurred during the final. Above all, everything that happened in the final undermined the good work that CAF has done over many years to ensure the integrity, respect, ethics, governance, and credibility of results in football matches.
The incidents that took place in the final exposed the issues of doubt and distrust that we are still addressing. This is a legacy problem. When I became president, one of my main concerns was the impartiality, independence, and respect of referees and match officials. Despite the extensive excellent work that has been done, doubts persist because this is a legacy issue that has persisted for many years, and we have been continuously addressing it because it is crucial.
The incidents in the final also highlighted another important issue: the independence and respect for our judicial bodies. We have taken a different path than before when selecting members of our judicial bodies. We invited each member association and CAF's six regions to recommend respected judges and lawyers, because the decisions of our Disciplinary Board (CAF Disciplinary Board) and Appeals Board (CAF Appeals Board) must be regarded as being made with respect and integrity, which is extremely important to us.
Looking at the composition of these bodies, they bring together some of the most respected lawyers and judges on the African continent. But we still need to address perceptions and concerns about integrity. This is an ongoing issue. At CAF, we are very clear that we are firmly committed to ensuring—not only through our actions, as we have implemented best practices by selecting judges and lawyers with a track record of integrity from every region and sub-region of Africa's 54 countries—but also that the independence of these bodies is partly reflected in the different decisions made by the two bodies.
The CAF Disciplinary Board made one decision, while the CAF Appeals Board took a completely different position. I have heard that Senegal will file an appeal, and this is very important. Every one of Africa's 54 countries has the right to pursue their appeals and claims at CAF, the highest body in Africa, as well as at CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), the higher authority. We will comply with and respect the decision made at the highest level.
A key factor is: no country in Africa will receive more favorable, advantageous, or biased treatment than any other African country. We take everything that happened in the Africa Cup of Nations final hosted by Morocco extremely seriously, and we have initiated important measures to ensure that necessary resolutions are adopted for identified deficiencies and areas requiring improvement. We have set very high standards for ourselves.
Most importantly for us, ordinary football fans and spectators in Africa's 54 countries, in their own judgment—not CAF's judgment, nor my judgment—believe that the decisions of our judicial bodies are fair, made with integrity and impartiality. Equally important is that they believe our referees, VAR operators, and match officials are fair and impartial, and that the decisions they make reflect the crucial elements of impartiality and independence.
