Motsepe encourages resorting to "the bowl"

The President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, stressed his support for the right of African countries to resort to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS), stressing that no country in the continent is treated “in a preferential manner,” and at the same time praising the “independence” of the CAF disciplinary bodies, after the Appeals Committee decided to strip the Senegalese team of the Africa Cup of Nations title that it won last January 18, and award it to the host Moroccan team.

South African Mtusepe, in a video speech broadcast by “CAF”, referred to Senegal’s decision to appeal the decision of the Appeals Committee, saying: “This is important, because each of the 54 African countries has the right to use all available appeal paths, whether within the structures of ‘CAF’ or before the highest sporting body, which is the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS). We will accept and respect the decision that will be taken from the highest level.” He continued: “One of the fundamental factors for us is that no country in Africa will be treated in a preferential manner or granted more privileges than Other.”

The Appeals Committee decided, after receiving an objection from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, to “consider the Senegalese team a loser in the final match,” which it won on the pitch 1-0 after overtime, with “the result based on 3-0” in favor of Morocco.

The Senegalese Federation denounced “an unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision that harms the credibility of African football,” and indicated that it would begin “appeal procedures before the Court of Arbitration for Sport” in Lausanne, Switzerland, “as soon as possible.”

In an official statement, the Senegalese government called for “an independent international investigation due to suspicions of corruption within the Confederation of African Football (CAF).”

The African Union Appeals Committee justified its decision based on Articles 82 and 84 of the African Cup of Nations regulations, which stipulate that “if a team refuses to play or leaves the field before the end of the legal time of the match (...) it is considered a loser and is permanently excluded from the ongoing tournament.”

Motsepe said in his statement: "When selecting the members of these (judicial) bodies, we took a different approach than previously. We called on each member association and each of the six regions affiliated with CAF to submit the names of respected judges and lawyers. It is important that the decisions of our Disciplinary Committee, the CAF Disciplinary Committee and the Appeals Committee are viewed with a great deal of respect and integrity. This is pivotal for us."