The president of CAF (African Football Confederation), Patrice Motsepe, visited Dakar this Wednesday (8), almost a month after the decision to withdraw the African Cup title from Senegal in favor of Morocco.
Motsepe announced in late March that he would travel to Senegal, where the news sparked outrage, and Morocco, to emphasize the importance of “working together for the development of African football”.
His visit comes at a particularly tense time, following CAF’s controversial decision to strip Senegal of the title in favor of Morocco, following the chaotic final won 1-0 by the Senegalese team in Rabat in January.
On January 18, during the final, several Senegalese players left the field in protest against a decision by the referee, who, shortly after disallowing a Senegal goal, awarded a penalty to Morocco, in second-half stoppage time.
After 15 minutes of confusion, the Senegalese players returned to the field, the match was resumed and Moroccan winger Brahim Díaz wasted the penalty.
On March 17, the CAF appeals court declared the Senegalese team “excluded from the final”, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory.
The Senegalese Football Federation then appealed to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), which will publish its decision on an as yet unspecified date.
In a statement released on March 18, the Senegalese government requested an international investigation “into suspected corruption in the governing bodies” of the pan-African institution.
Motsepe claimed at the time that no African country was receiving “preferential” treatment, while also praising the “independence” of its disciplinary bodies.
