<\/p>\n
South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe has been lauded for cleaning up the finances of Africa\u2019s most powerful sports organisation, but a football trophy scandal has highlighted the deep mistrust that still dogs the body.<\/p>\n
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) stripped Senegal of its Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title, handing the trophy to host Morocco two months after the 18 January final, a dramatic twist that\u2019s reignited questions about CAF\u2019s credibility.<\/p>\n
Read:
Fifa optimistic amid chaos
African soccer body fines Senegal, Morocco after chaotic final<\/p>\n
\u201cCapital is important but what drives investment is trust and integrity,\u201d said Beverley Agbakoba-Onyejianya, a Lagos-based sports attorney and arbitrator. \u201cThat\u2019s what you take to the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ruling lands at a delicate moment for African football. CAF has just recorded its first profit in years, attracting a record 23 sponsors to the Morocco tournament under Motsepe\u2019s watch. But if governing bodies can\u2019t be trusted to uphold results on the pitch, that commercial progress risks being undermined by lingering trust issues.<\/p>\n
At the heart of the controversy was a walkoff by Senegal\u2019s coach and players after officials disallowed a goal and awarded Morocco a penalty.<\/p>\n
When play resumed, midfielder Pape Gueye scored the match\u2019s only goal. CAF\u2019s appeal board ruled\u00a0this week that the walkoff constituted a forfeit under its rules and gave Morocco a 3-0 win.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt undermines the good work that CAF has done over many, many years to ensure that there\u2019s integrity, that there\u2019s respect, that there\u2019s ethics, that there\u2019s governance, as well as credibility of the results of our football matches,\u201d Motsepe said in a video statement posted on X.<\/p>\n
It \u201cexposes the work that we are still dealing with concerning the suspicion and distrust. It\u2019s a legacy issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senegal\u2019s government called for an independent probe \u201cinto suspicions of corruption within CAF leadership,\u201d in a striking response to the ruling.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot let a match be played to the end on the pitch and then overturn it two months later,\u201d said Abdoulaye Fall, president of the Senegalese Football Federation, which will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, the de facto supreme court for sports disputes.<\/p>\n
Morocco invested more than $1 billion upgrading and building stadiums for the month-long event, and is preparing to co-host the 2030 Fifa World Cup with Spain and Portugal.<\/p>\n
TotalEnergies SE was title sponsor for what CAF called its biggest commercial success since its founding in 1957, with the number of sponsors tripling to 23 from the 2021 Cameroon edition.<\/p>\n
The organisation reported a net profit of $9.5 million in the 2023-24 financial year compared with a loss of $9.2 million the year before, according to a statement.<\/p>\n
Read:
Standard Bank backs Bafana Bafana ahead of World Cup
Morocco\u2019s World Cup funding to get \u20ac2bn bond boost
Football\u2019s World Cup is coming to North Africa for first time<\/p>\n
\u201cAfcon is a major event, but its financial success is limited once you consider the full picture,\u201d said Gerard Akindes, an adjunct faculty at New York University. \u201cHost countries spend huge sums, often covered by taxpayers, and these costs are largely ignored when we focus only on revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Moroccan Football Federation, which filed the successful appeal, welcomed the ruling, saying it only sought to ensure the tournament\u2019s rules were respected.<\/p>\n
But the decision falls in a grey area, Agbakoba-Onyejianya said, because under\u00a0Law 5 of International Football Association Board rules, the referee is vested with powers to make decisions on the field of play.<\/p>\n
In this case, that decision was to allow the game to continue.<\/p>\n
Motsepe took over in March 2021 pledging to clean up a body marred by scandal under predecessors. The South African tycoon has acknowledged the credibility gap as one he is still working to close.<\/p>\n
The crisis presents an opportunity for reforms, said Agbakoba-Onyejianya.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to turn this around so that we don\u2019t become the laughing stock of the global football community.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Bloomberg<\/p>\n
#African #football #row #tests #tycoon #Patrice #Motsepes #ability #restore #trust<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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