Omba denies CAF's bias towards Morocco

Veron Mosengo Omba, the recently outgoing Secretary-General of the Confederation of African Football, came out to respond to the accusations issued by the Senegalese side, which spoke of a bias within the continental body in favor of Morocco, categorically denying these allegations.

The former Secretary-General of CAF stressed, in media statements, that “what is being circulated about the continental body’s bias towards Morocco falls within the category of emotions,” adding: “If there are accusations, they must be supported by evidence, not just allegations.”

Regarding the African Cup of Nations final file and the Appeals Committee’s decision to consider Morocco a three-time winner in exchange for Senegal’s withdrawal, the same spokesman explained that the “CAF” leadership, whether in the person of President Patrice Motsepe or the General Secretariat, does not interfere in the course of decision-making within the relevant committees, indicating that these bodies operate with complete independence, which explains the issuance of different decisions in this file between the Disciplinary Committee and the Appeals Committee.

In a related context, Omba revealed that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation had filed a protest after the final, in which it relied on Article 82 of the competition regulations, which stipulates that the team is considered defeated if it withdraws or refuses to complete the match without legal justification, an appeal that was rejected by the Disciplinary Committee in the first stage, before the Appeals Committee resolved it in a later stage.

According to the same source, the discrepancy between the two committees’ decisions “reflects the independence of the decision-making bodies within CAF,” despite the widespread controversy it sparked, especially in light of each party’s adherence to its position, and the Senegalese Federation, in turn, resorting to legal escalation.

The same spokesman stressed that the final decision in this case has not yet been issued, pointing out that the file is currently before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will issue the final and binding decision, away from all mutual interpretations and accusations.

At the conclusion of his speech, Omba denied that his departure from his position was related to this issue, highlighting that his decision “was pre-programmed and falls within the framework of the end of a five-year cycle,” and indicating that he preferred to postpone his departure until after the “CAN” organization, which he described as “exceptional,” after it recorded record numbers in terms of follow-up and revenues.