By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Following the controversies that trailed the outcome of the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final in Rabat, Morocco, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) says it has introduced new regulations to strengthen the competition’s refereeing.
Speaking to BBC Sport Africa on Wednesday, May 13, CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, admitted that “deficiencies” in officiating and match management contributed to the chaotic ending of the 2025 AFCON.
Recall that Senegal was initially declared the 2025 AFCON champions after a 1–0 extra-time win over Morocco.
However, the 2025 AFCON final result was later overturned by a CAF appeal board on March 17, 2026, with the title awarded to Morocco following disciplinary rulings tied to Senegal’s protest walk-off after a late virtual assistant referee (VAR) penalty decision.
The final match was also criticised because of the security clashes inside the stadium and incidents dubbed “towelgate,” where Senegal’s goalkeeper was reportedly interfered with by ball boys and opposing personnel.
In his statements on Wednesday, Motsepe said CAF had carried out an internal review of the incidents.
“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.
“But there are still these challenges, and we’ve recognised what the deficiencies were that led to the unfortunate incidents we had in Morocco.
“We’ve introduced new laws, new regulations which will ensure that doesn’t happen again,” he said.
Motsepe added that CAF is still working to strengthen officiating standards and VAR consistency across the continent.
“We are continuing to improve the system, because African football must be judged by the highest standards of fairness and integrity,” he said.
Reacting to the CAF appeal board’s decision, the Senegal Football Federation described the decision to strip Senegal of the title as a “robbery” and has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where a final ruling is still pending.
Motsepe noted that CAF will respect and implement the outcome of the legal process.
He said, “We are waiting for the judgment of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and African football is continuing to grow and develop. Whatever decision comes, we will respect and implement.”
