Still dealing with the aftermath of the controversial incident african cup of nations finalAfrica’s governing body has announced a number of “changes and improvements” to its rules and regulations.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe said after an executive committee meeting in Cairo on Sunday that structural, legal and administrative reforms would help the Confederation of African Football restore confidence in fairness and ensure scenes like the January final are never repeated.
“I can stand here and say we have the best referees, we are independent and we are fair. But if the general football audience on the continent and elsewhere thinks they are not that fair, that is not good for African football,” Motsepe said.
The result of the final match continues to be debated. CAF strips Senegal of title Two months after the match, it was awarded to hosts Morocco. Senegal appeals The case will be submitted to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, with both countries claiming to be African champions pending the outcome. of Senegal team parades trophy in Paris on Saturday.
“We also have to move away from the recognition that our problems in Africa and our weaknesses in Africa are bigger, bigger, more shameful and more extreme than what is happening in other parts of the world,” Motsepe said.
The South African businessman said CAF was working with FIFA to provide training for referees and VAR operators and that paying them well was essential to ensure integrity.
general secretary resigns
Earlier, Belon Mosengo-Omba announced that he would step down as CAF general secretary after five years “to focus on more personal projects”.
The Swiss-Congolese official is a university friend; FIFA He was appointed to FIFA from UEFA in 2016, following president Gianni Infantino. Mosengo-Omba left FIFA to become CAF General Secretary in 2021.
In January 2025, CAF announced that the Swiss Public Prosecutor’s Office had decided to discontinue the investigation against Mosengo Omba after he was suspected of financial misconduct “because it found no factual or legal basis for initiating legal proceedings.”
Mosengo-Omba said on Sunday: “Now that I have dispelled the suspicions that some people put so much effort into putting on me, I can retire with peace of mind and without any restrictions and leave CAF in a more prosperous state than ever before.”
Samson Adamu of the Nigeria Football Federation was appointed acting general secretary and sat to Motsepe’s left during the press conference.
“The vice presidents will lead the process and report back to me on the identification of the permanent secretary general,” Motsepe said. “And I told Samson that whether he liked it or not, I was also going to put pressure on him to apply for the position permanently.”
Morocco hosts WAFCON
Motsepe confirmed that the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco as originally planned. The tournament was scheduled to be held in the kingdom from March 17th to April 3rd, but has been cancelled. hastily postponed From July 25th to August 16.
Asked about the reason for the postponement, Motsepe said: “There were circumstances that we did not foresee.”
28 teams preparing for the 2027 Africa Cup
Motsepe said he would visit Kenya in May to inspect preparations for the men’s 2027 Africa Cup, which Kenya is scheduled to co-host with Tanzania and Uganda. He dismissed suggestions that the tournament could be held in another country.
Motsepe also announced that the number of teams participating in the Africa Cup will be expanded from 24 teams in 2025 to 28 teams.
Motsepe already announced in december The Africa Cup will be held every four years from 2028.
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