Motsepe Vows to Restore Integrity at CAF After “Ugly” AFCON 2025 scenes
Following a tournament defined as much by its disciplinary firestorms as its footballing drama, CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe has signaled a new era of uncompromising determination to protect the reputation of African football. The President’s remarks come in the wake of a series of sanctions released on January 28, 2026, targeting the fallout from the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025. From suspensions in the final to heavy fines for champions, the governing body is moving decisively to silence critics of the opinion that the competition’s integrity has been compromised.
The fallout from the final between Senegal and Morocco remains the most significant stain on the tournament. The match will be remembered for a chaotic stoppage-time walkout led by Senegalese coach Pape Bouna Thiaw in protest of a late VAR-awarded penalty. While Senegal eventually secured the trophy, the victory has come at a steep professional and financial cost. Coach Thiaw has been suspended for five matches and fined $100,000 for inciting the walkout. This disciplinary wave also swept up key players, with Senegal’s Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr, along with Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, receiving two-match bans for unsporting conduct toward officials. The financial penalties were equally severe, as the Senegalese Federation was hit with $615,000 in fines, while the Moroccan Federation was ordered to pay $415,000 for security failures and the aggressive behavior of stadium staff and fans.
This crackdown follows a pattern of zero tolerance established earlier in the tournament. CAF has aggressively pursued anyone publicly disparaging match officials, as seen in the case of Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traoré. The forward was fined $10,000 for offensive remarks after he claimed referees were ruining the game following a loss to Algeria. Traoré’s public outburst, which included allegations that officials did not want the match to flow fairly, was cited by CAF as a direct violation of the dignity expected of a national team leader.
The disciplinary board was similarly firm regarding the chaotic scenes following Algeria’s match against Nigeria. The Algerian Football Federation faced a $100,000 fine and multiple player suspensions after a post-match brawl where officials had to be shielded from physical confrontation. Perhaps most damaging to the image of the game was the behavior of supporters who displayed banknotes to officials. This gesture, implying bribery and corruption, was specifically addressed by Dr. Motsepe as an unacceptable incident that undermines the global competitiveness of the continent’s football.
In a stern address to the media, Dr. Motsepe expressed his extreme disappointment with these events and emphasized that the CAF Executive Committee is now reviewing the entire Disciplinary Code. The goal is to ensure future sanctions are both appropriate and dissuasive enough to prevent a repeat of such behavior. He underscored the importance of African referees, VAR operators, and match commissioners being perceived as impartial and world-class. To support this, CAF has pledged additional financial and technical resources to ensure that the integrity and skills of African officiating match the highest global standards.
By enforcing these sweeping measures, CAF is attempting to pivot away from the controversies of the past month and restore a sense of order. The message from the President is clear: while African football is rising in quality, it can only maintain its respect on the world stage if the rules of the game and the authority of its officials are treated as absolute.
Motsepe Speaks:
“I am absolutely determined and the CAF Executive Committee (“EXCO”), as well as the CAF Member Association Presidents, who represent 54 African Countries; are also determined, to maintain and advance the integrity, reputation and global competitiveness of African Football and CAF Competitions. I was extremely disappointed with the unacceptable incidences that took place at the Finals of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025. I have taken note of the decision of the CAF Disciplinary Board which was announced on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, and I respect and will adhere to every decision of our CAF Judicial Bodies. I have called a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee (EXCO), which is the highest decision-making body in CAF, outside the CAF Annual Ordinary General Assembly; to review the CAF Regulations, including the CAF Disciplinary Code, to ensure that the CAF Judicial Bodies have the power to impose appropriate and dissuasive sanctions for serious violations of the CAF Statutes, Regulations, Disciplinary Code and for behaviour and conduct that seriously undermines or harms the reputation, integrity, respect and global competitiveness of African Football and CAF Competitions.
“We have, over the past few years, significantly improved the quality, integrity, independence, skills and expertise of African referees, VAR operators and match commissioners. We are determined to allocate additional financial and expert technical resources to ensure that the quality, integrity, impartiality, skills and expertise of African referees, VAR operators and match commissioners, are as good as the best in the world. One of the first changes that I introduced when I became President of CAF was to ensure that the CAF Referees Committee is independent, impartial and consists of members who were proposed by the 54 CAF Member Associations, as well as the best qualified and respected referees in Africa. It is very important that African referees, VAR operators and match commissioners are perceived, respected and acknowledged as being impartial, fair and world class.
“I am confident that with the additional changes and extensive measures that we are introducing, African Football and CAF Competitions will continue to be respected, admired and amongst the best in the world”.
