CAF PROMISES TOUGHER RULES AFTER AFCON FINAL CHAOS
By: Gyang Dakwo
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has promised to tighten its rules and enforce them more strictly following heavy criticism of the sanctions handed out after the AFCON 2025 final between Senegal and hosts Morocco.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe said the incidents that marred the final were unacceptable and disappointing, and he stressed that the body is committed to protecting the integrity and global image of African football.
Motsepe explained that he has called a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee outside the Annual Ordinary General Assembly. He said the meeting will review existing regulations, including the disciplinary code, so that CAF judicial bodies can impose appropriate and dissuasive sanctions for serious violations.
He added that in recent years CAF has improved the quality, integrity, and independence of African referees, VAR operators, and match commissioners, and said the organization plans to go even further.
The CAF president disclosed that the body is determined to provide more financial and technical support to ensure officials are as skilled, fair, and respected.
“It is very important that African referees, VAR operators and match commissioners are perceived, respected and acknowledged as being impartial, fair and world class,” Motsepe said.
The disorder during the AFCON final began when Senegal coach Pape Thiaw openly protested referee decisions and urged his players to leave the pitch, and this disrupted the match and damaged the competition.
The situation then worsened as Senegalese players later returned to the field and attacked stadium staff, and this sparked widespread condemnation.
After the final, CAF suspended Thiaw for five matches and fined him 100,000 dollars for inciting his players to walk out. Senegal’s football authorities were fined $ 615,000, while Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr each received a two-match suspension for unsportsmanlike behavior toward the referee.
Many observers say that while Senegal’s actions were serious, CAF did not go far enough, as it rejected calls for heavier sanctions or for the final result to be annulled.
Senegal has since announced plans to appeal the sanctions, even though penalties were imposed for the walkout and the violence that followed. Some analysts believe the team avoided the harshest possible punishment.
Morocco was also sanctioned and fined a total of 315,000 dollars. Players Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari were suspended for their conduct after an incident involving Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. Hakimi received a two-match suspension, with one match suspended for a year, while Saibari was banned for three matches.
