Patrice Motsepe, the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), is scheduled to arrive in Morocco this Thursday following a high-profile visit to Dakar.
During his time in Rabat, Motsepe will engage in discussions with the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, along with other key figures in Moroccan football. The visit will conclude with a formal press conference at 5:00 p.m. local time, where the CAF leader is expected to address the current state of continental football and the administrative path forward following the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
This diplomatic tour occurs against the backdrop of an intense legal dispute currently being adjudicated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has filed an appeal to challenge a March 17 ruling by the CAF Appeals Board, which awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory by forfeit for the January 18 final. While Senegal is petitioning to be officially recognized as the tournament winner and seeking more time to finalize its legal brief, the Moroccan federation maintains that its case is legally airtight, supported by referee reports and video evidence documenting the Senegalese team’s withdrawal from the pitch.
Motsepe has remained steadfast in his commitment to judicial independence throughout this period of tension. He recently reaffirmed that CAF will strictly abide by the final verdict delivered by the CAS, ensuring that personal opinions do not influence the institutional process. As the football world awaits the formation of an arbitration panel, this visit to Rabat serves as a critical moment for Motsepe to manage the relationship between two of Africa’s footballing giants while the official ownership of the 2025 AfCON title remains legally contested.
AK/Sf/fss/abj/APA