Motsepe At A Crossroads As Afcon Row And Wafcon Cancellation Puts Reputations At Risk | Osasu Obayiuwana

It has been a miserable fewer months for nan Confederation of African Football (Caf) and its South African billionaire president Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe. On Sunday he had chance to explain a fewer things, to group nan grounds straight.

The CAF executive committee met astatine nan Giza Palace edifice successful Cairo and journalists were coming for nan briefing that followed.

The determination by Caf’s entreaty committee to strip Senegal of nan Afcon trophy and manus it to Morocco has seen Motsepe facing nan astir treacherous and, without question, nan astir challenging play successful his five-year presidency of nan continent’s shot governing body.

“It is very clear to maine that Motsepe will person to show activity to find a solution to a problem which I deliberation cannot beryllium solved by ineligible intends alone,” an executive committee personnel told maine connected Sunday aft nan committee meeting.

“I deliberation Motsepe has to put unit connected Morocco to retreat nan [original] complaint, truthful this lawsuit tin extremity and Caf, arsenic an organisation, tin debar humiliation astatine Cas [the tribunal of arbitration for sport] … but will nan Moroccan Football Federation president, Fouzi Lekjaa, work together to this?”

With nan nationalist temper successful Morocco demanding that nary discuss beryllium made, arsenic they insist that a immense injustice has been rectified, that will beryllium an highly difficult petition to meet if nan 1 personification who tin guarantee it, King Mohammed VI, nan country’s absolute monarch, does not bid it.

With a courtroom successful Switzerland – wherever Cas is based – being nan arbiter to find who won nan 2025 Afcon, nan estimation of nan tourney continues to return a reputational pasting unprecedented successful its 69-year history.

Motsepe made it clear connected Sunday that nan Caf management will not make immoderate further statements aliases return immoderate action regarding nan conflict until Cas issues its ruling. It is unclear erstwhile it will present its decision.

That is successful ineligible order. But what should not, and cannot, hold until nan Cas verdict is an urgent overhaul of Caf’s judicial bodies, to guarantee its members are not tainted by individual and governmental interests that portion them of immoderate credibility.

As Motsepe acknowledged, erstwhile I pointed this retired to him connected Sunday, it is an affront to judicial fairness and independency that Moez Nasri, nan president of nan Tunisian Football Federation, was a personnel of nan five-man entreaty committee that took nan 17 March determination to portion Senegal of nan title. This truth is apt to beryllium central, if not fundamental, to Cas’s determination regarding Senegal’s appeal.

The Caf president, Patrice Motsepe, is facing nan toughest play of his reign. Photograph: Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images

“When I was informed that 1 of nan group [among nan entreaty committee judges] was a president of 1 of our shot associations, I responded: ‘But travel on, what is this? How did he extremity up there?’” Motsepe said successful Cairo. “Of course, we must tie lessons from this benignant of thing… He [Moez Nasri] shouldn’t person been there. We request much rigour [in really Caf’s jurists are appointed].”

Motsepe was little candid connected different important issues, specified arsenic nan determination to support Veron Mosengo-Omba arsenic wide caput beyond nan 15 October 2025 day he was permitted to stay successful office, having exhausted his last three-year employment extension.

“We acted successful accordance pinch what was provided successful that statement [the quality and specifications of which Motsepe did not explain] and that’s very important … At nan past exco, past year, he reminded us, because I forgot. I don’t retrieve what’s successful nan agreement,” he said, offering nary further penetration into what led to nan hold of Mosengo-Omba’s term.

I was besides nary nan wiser erstwhile Motsepe explained why nan promise that he made successful Dar es Salaam, that Wafcon, nan Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, would beryllium held arsenic scheduled betwixt 17 March and 3 April, was broken.

This is what he said: “When I was successful Tanzania I was clear, successful my mind, that contempt nan challenges astatine that time, everything had to beryllium done to make judge that nan women’s title continues. It has been postponed, conscionable for illustration past year, [when] we had to postpone nan Chan [African Nations Championship]. It [the Wafcon] will beryllium enormously successful. We person a duty, and I person a duty, to explicate …

“For arsenic agelong arsenic I americium nan president of Caf, whether I cognize of aliases I americium not alert of problems, aliases deficiencies, aliases shortcomings, I person to relationship [for them]. The subordinate stops pinch maine … We person engaged pinch nan personnel associations [that were to person had their teams astatine nan Wafcon] that location were circumstances [leading to nan postponement] that we had not foreseen.”

A erstwhile Caf lawyer, captious of really governance, consequence and compliance rules person been observed successful breach alternatively than successful strict obedience, said: “Motsepe’s responses reflected a deficiency of awareness, highlighting really vulnerable nan institution has become.”

Of nan 23-man executive committee, Samir Sobha of Mauritius has been nan astir unfastened astir nan organisation’s self-inflicted wounds. “The determination [by nan entreaty board] to designate a victor based connected Articles 82, 83, and 84 of nan title regulations has generated heavy incomprehension and a genuine consciousness of injustice,” he told nan Guardian.

“An injustice cannot beryllium remedied by different determination perceived arsenic as unjust. Rather than restoring balance, specified a prime risks intensifying frustrations and calls for a deeper reflection connected really to safeguard fairness and uphold nan honour of African football.”

Senegal’s defiant trophy show astatine nan Stade de France successful Paris earlier Saturday’s friends against Peru – an unequivocal motion that they person nary volition to manus nan trophy to Morocco – came a time earlier nan Caf exco gathering and only highlights nan bitterness and heavy divisions wrong African shot complete nan January Afcon final.

“Even if I americium nan past personification successful Senegal, I americium going to support fighting for our rights. Things request to alteration successful Caf. Our credibility is astatine stake,” said Augustin Senghor, a personnel of nan executive committee who is besides nan caput of Caf’s ineligible committee. He publically excoriated nan entreaty committee for nan 17 March verdict.

How Motsepe steers nan Caf vessel done nan choppy governance waters that frighten to descend it will specify his legacy, either arsenic a testament to his conflict-resolving sagacity aliases arsenic prima facie grounds of a deficiency of governance competence.

Posterity will uncover which of nan 2 it will be.