CAF President Motsepe Arrives Dakar for Crisis Talks
Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has arrived Dakar for an official working visit aimed at strengthening relations with Senegal while addressing deep tensions caused by CAF’s controversial decision to strip the country of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title.
The visit includes scheduled meetings with Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye at the presidential palace and with Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) President Abdoulaye Fall. Motsepe has already held discussions at the FSF headquarters and visited Gorée Island, a site of historical significance for Senegal. A press conference is set for 17:30 GMT at the Pullman Dakar Teranga hotel.
The immediate cause of the heightened tensions is the ruling by CAF’s Appeals Board on March 17, 2026.
In the January 2025 final hosted by Morocco, Senegal led 1-0 in extra time through a goal by Pape Gueye. Late in the match, the referee had awarded Morocco a contentious penalty, prompting the Senegalese team to briefly walk off the pitch in protest for about 17 minutes.
CAF’s disciplinary committee had earlier issued fines and suspensions but allowed the on-field result to stand. However, following an appeal by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the Appeals Board applied Article 84 of the AFCON regulations and declared Senegal to have forfeited the match. The score was recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco, awarding them the title.
Senegal’s football federation and government strongly condemned the decision, describing it as an “unfair administrative robbery” and a “disgrace for African football.” The FSF immediately appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, seeking to reinstate their victory.
CAS has confirmed receipt of the appeal, though no timeline for a verdict has been set. Senegal still physically holds the trophy pending the outcome and has paraded it in Paris, before an international friendly. Meanwhile, Morocco maintains the matter is closed and has celebrated the title.
Motsepe has described the visit as an opportunity to “work together to grow African football” and has emphasised that “we are all Africans” and that football should unite rather than divide the continent.
Senegalese officials have welcomed the trip in a spirit of dialogue. Critics, however, view the visit as an attempt at damage control. Senegalese journalist Pape Alé Niang and others have questioned whether Motsepe is seeking to persuade Senegal to soften its position, including on an FBI-linked corruption complaint concerning CAF affairs and long-standing grievances over broadcasting policies that favour pay-TV broadcasters over free-to-air national channels.
Additional sources of friction include the detention of 18 Senegalese supporters (plus one French national) by Moroccan courts following pitch invasions during the final. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to one year on charges related to hooliganism. Senegalese authorities and the public have described them as “hostages” and called for their release.
Motsepe, a South African mining billionaire who became CAF president in 2021, has positioned himself as a reformer focused on financial transparency and development. The AFCON saga has tested his leadership and exposed perceptions of favouritism within the confederation.
As Motsepe engages with Senegalese leadership, the football world will be watching to see whether the visit can ease tensions or if underlying grievances will persist. The Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal remains the ultimate legal arbiter, but today’s diplomacy in Dakar may shape the political and emotional landscape in the meantime.
