Patrice Motsepe: How CAF President Was Treated on Arrival in Senegal for AFCON 2025 Talks
- CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe has arrived in Senegal on a courtesy visit to the country’s leadership
- Motsepe is expected to meet with the country's president and head of the Senegalese Football Federation
- The visit was necessitated by the controversies after CAF stripped the Teranga Lions of AFCON 2025 title
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CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe has arrived in Senegal on a courtesy visit to the country’s leadership amid controversies on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Teranga Lions won the AFCON 2025 after beating the Atlas Lions of Morocco 1-0 after extra time, but the victory was tainted by chaotic scenes.
Source: Getty Images
Senegal players walked off the pitch in the closing stages of the 90 minutes on the order of head coach Pape Thiaw to protest a referee's decision.
Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala disallowed a legitimate Senegal goal before awarding a penalty to Morocco in the final seconds of the game.
The match was briefly paused for about 17 minutes before Sadio Mane restored order, appealing to his teammates to return to the pitch and continue.
Brahim Diaz missed the penalty after Édouard Mendy easily saved his Panenka attempt, thus pushing the match to extra time, during which Pape Gueye scored Senegal’s winning goal.
CAF investigated the unacceptable scenes that marred the final and sanctioned both countries with fines and suspensions for the parties involved.
FRMF appealed the initial judgment at the CAF Appeal Board, which then followed up on two requests to strip Senegal of the title and award Morocco a 3-0 victory.
This action led to reactions in African football, many of which were negative for CAF, as the FSF headed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports to appeal the decision.
To ease tensions surrounding this action, the CAF President planned a visit to Senegal to meet with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and FSF President Abdoulaye Fall.
CAF President arrives in Senegal
CAF media confirmed on Wednesday that Patrice Motsepe has arrived in Dakar, accompanied by acting General Secretary Samson Adamu and was received by Fall.
According to his itinerary published by CAF, he will meet Senegal's President Faye and visit Goree Island before addressing a press conference later, which will be available on CAF TV.
Source: Getty Images
Fans opposed his visit and publicly expressed their displeasure, claiming that he should not have been allowed into the country after the recent incident.
@OneMTN1406 wrote:
“The only reason he's still accepted here is because he's the CAF President. You know better than me.”
@Ajurawalo2 wrote:
“To collect the trophy 🏆 from Senegalese team or what? 🤣🤣.”
@eckoking2002 wrote:
“What is he there to do? To beg them to withdraw their case CAS or to return the trophy 🏆. CAF will never cease to be a joke. You guys have made African football a more laughing stock before the international community.”
Senegal sends message to CAF and Morocco
Legit.ng previously reported that Senegal sent a message to CAF after Morocco asked for the trophy to be withdrawn from the Teranga Lions.
FSF general secretary Abdoulaye Sow dismissed the idea and claimed that it had never crossed their mind, and confirmed that they have a good case.
Source: Legit.ng
