The credibility test places “CAF” between sports diplomacy and legal justice

Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), continues his efforts to ease the “sporting tension” between Morocco and Senegal against the backdrop of the “CAN” final. Experts in the sports field confirm that these efforts will not change anything regarding the damage to the image of the African continent before the world.

During his visit to Morocco on Thursday, after a visit to Senegal, Motsepe acknowledged the extent of the management failure that accompanied the final scene, saying that he was very disappointed with what happened in the final match, adding that the Confederation of African Football had actually begun to review its legal system to overcome the imbalances that accompanied the conclusion of the continental wedding.

Muhammad Abu Al-Sahl, a sports journalist and expert, believes that “this visit is an attempt to reassure the continental football scene in light of the recent legal developments that the arena has witnessed.”

Abu Al-Sahl said, in a statement to Hespress, that the timing of this visit falls outside the context of the explicit decisions that should have been taken, as it appears that Motsepe chose to activate the “good offices” between the Senegalese and Moroccan federations within an emotional and diplomatic framework that aims first to calm the general situation of the African Union.

He continued: "There is frank criticism of the institution's inability to make strict decisions, as the president contented himself with offering gold medals, cups, and financial compensation to the Senegalese side, with a verbal emphasis on respecting the laws. But this speech ignores the essence of the problem related to violations and the Senegalese Federation's non-compliance with the governing regulations."

The spokesman stated that celebrating without implementing the legal decisions and complying with the requirements of the CAF “is considered a controversial matter, especially since some of the previous actions harmed the image of the African Union. Despite the praise for the quality of Morocco’s organization of the tournaments, this praise should not be at the expense of enforcing the law and protecting the prestige of the institution,” as he put it.

Abu Al-Sahl stated that the CAF Foundation will only gain the required strength and credibility by defending its laws and enforcing their respect for everyone, stressing that “true credibility is linked to the ability to implement sovereign decisions away from softening the atmosphere, which may come at the expense of legal justice between federations.”

For his part, Mohamed Achiban, a national sports expert, said that the visit is “an attempt to contain the repercussions of the recent crisis and show CAF as an institution that is performing its professional duty. Motsepe was keen to remind the Senegalese side of the gesture of handing over the medals, the cup and financial compensation, while at the same time emphasizing the need to respect the regulating laws.”