President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, has revealed that the continental football body introduced new laws and regulations following the controversial conclusion of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco.
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The final, played on January 18, descended into chaos after Senegal’s national team walked off the pitch in protest when Morocco were awarded a penalty following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review in stoppage time with the match still goalless.
Senegal were initially crowned champions before the result was later overturned, with the match declared forfeited in favour of hosts Morocco. The delayed ruling sparked widespread criticism, with many questioning why the decision was not taken immediately during the game.
Speaking to BBC Sport Africa on Wednesday, Motsepe admitted that shortcomings in officiating and match management contributed to the controversy.
“We’ve done good work in terms of building the confidence and the trust amongst the football community of our referees and of our VAR,” Motsepe said.
“But there are still these challenges and we’ve recognized what the deficiencies were that led to the unfortunate incidents we had in Morocco.”
According to the CAF president, new regulations have now been implemented to prevent a repeat of such incidents in future continental competitions.
Motsepe stated that the measures introduced “will ensure that doesn’t happen again.”
He further disclosed that visits to both Senegal and Morocco formed part of CAF’s efforts to rebuild trust and confidence following the disputed final.
“We are waiting for the judgement of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and African football is continuing to grow and develop,” he said.
“Whatever decision comes, we will respect and implement.”
Motsepe also defended CAF’s decision to appoint Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to officiate a major continental club final despite the controversy surrounding his handling of the AFCON final.
“After the final in Morocco, the chairman of the referees committee came to the executive committee, and they gave a thorough report of his performance and assessed how he refereed the match in accordance with global best refereeing practices,” Motsepe added.
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