The ruling of the Caf appeals committee is against the laws of the game and casts another shadow over Motsepe’s stewardship as president
I
n more than three decades of reporting on African football, I have gone through the entire gamut of emotions: exhilaration – over some of the continent’s great moments at the Africa Cups of Nations and World Cups; frustration – over the errors its governors make – and deep despair, as one wonders whether its custodians will ever live up to their responsibilities and do their jobs diligently.
The decision on Tuesday, by the appeals committee of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title and hand it to Morocco, leaves me gobsmacked, as it did a former member of the appeals committee. “As a person who was on the appeals board for six years I know that it does not have the power to change the on-field decision of a referee. I cannot understand how they came to this disgraceful decision,” he said.
It has also left members of the Caf executive committee furious, knowing that point 5.2 of the laws of the game makes it clear “that the decisions of a referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final”.
