CAIRO — The Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe said he will “respect” the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision on Senegal’s appeal against being stripped of its Africa Cup of Nations title.
“I will respect and implement the CAS decision. My personal opinion regarding the matter is irrelevant,” Motsepe told a press conference in Cairo after a meeting of CAF executives according to AFP.
The Senegal appeal came after the CAF appeals body overturned a 1-0 win by Senegal over hosts Morocco in the Cup of Nations final on January 18.
Many Senegalese players, head coach Pape Thiaw and his staff walked off the pitch in Rabat after Morocco were awarded an added-time penalty.
After they returned, Brahim Diaz missed the penalty. Pape Gueye scored in extra time to win the title decider.
A CAF disciplinary committee later fined various figures from both teams, but did not alter the result.
Morocco then appealed and were awarded a 3-0 victory. Motsepe stressed that the appeal board consists of independent judges and lawyers.
When Senegal played Peru in a 2026 World Cup warm-up in Paris on Saturday, they paraded the Cup of Nations trophy.
Senegal then played in shirts with two stars – one for their first Cup of Nations triumph in 2022 and the other for their disputed January victory.
Motsepe said he would visit Senegal and Morocco, without giving dates, to stress the importance of “working together to grow African football”.
