A Meeting Under Extreme Tension
According to converging accounts, numerous members expressed frustration over the recent management of the organization, particularly after the controversies that followed the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament was marked by incidents during the final between Morocco and Senegal, as well as a series of disciplinary sanctions that have since been widely contested.
The extent of the discomfort was reflected in the physical absence, or complete absence, of several key figures. Among them were Moroccan federation president Fouzi Lekjaa and Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba. Some participants reportedly interpreted these absences as an attempt to avoid mounting criticism.
Motsepe Challenged as Meeting Stalls
CAF President Patrice Motsepe reportedly devoted nearly four hours of discussion to a single topic: the evaluation of AFCON 2025. In doing so, he is said to have left nine other agenda items untouched. Several members allegedly interrupted him repeatedly, criticizing what they viewed as a lack of concrete decisions despite previous public promises of reform.
Direct demands were reportedly voiced during the session, including the immediate restructuring of the general secretariat, the dissolution of the referees committee, and an end to unilateral decision making.
The Refereeing Scandal
The situation is said to have escalated sharply when the head of the referees committee addressed the room. His remarks reportedly stunned those present. He allegedly acknowledged that he did not personally know the majority of referees who officiated during the tournament, while suggesting that their selection had been determined by the central administration without his effective involvement.
Even more serious were claims that certain instructions had been issued during the final to avoid strictly applying regulations in order to prevent interrupting the match. For several executives, such statements amounted to an admission of sporting interference, an explosive allegation for an institution tasked with safeguarding competitive integrity.
Internal Revolt and Contested Appointments
The meeting was further shaken by an intervention from Samuel Eto’o, who reportedly challenged his four match suspension, describing it as unjust. At the same time, the announcement of a new legal director appointment without prior broad consultation triggered additional protests among members.
As tensions escalated, Motsepe is said to have cut the session short in order to attend a press conference, leaving several major issues without thorough discussion, including the future of certain women’s competitions and the continental calendar through 2037.
Reassuring Public Message but Shaken Credibility
Only minutes later, speaking to the media, the CAF president reportedly projected calm, asserting that Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda would be ready to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. He also mentioned the possibility of expanding the tournament to 28 teams.
These optimistic remarks stand in stark contrast to the internal tensions described by participants, reinforcing the perception of a troubling gap between official communication and institutional reality.
Three Questions Now Facing CAF
This crisis raises major questions. Could the refereeing controversy weaken the legal foundations of the disciplinary decisions and destabilize CAF’s authority? Will sanctions be revised during the appeals process? And could FIFA intervene in the wake of the executive committee turmoil linked to continental refereeing?
What emerges from this meeting is not simply administrative disagreement. It is the image of an institution marked by internal rivalry, strained leadership, and visible fragmentation. If these accounts are confirmed, CAF would not be facing a temporary dispute but a deeper crisis of legitimacy. In football, as in politics, once an organization begins to lose the confidence of its own leadership, the issue is no longer a passing storm. It becomes a countdown.
Translated from Abderrazzak Boussaid’s French article – le7tv