CAF moves to fix AFCON final controversies as Patrice Motsepe confirms reforms

The President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, has revealed that the continental body has already begun implementing reforms aimed at preventing a repeat of the controversies that marred the recent Africa Cup of Nations final.

Speaking during a media briefing on a working visit to Morocco, Motsepe stressed that lessons have been learned and corrective steps are underway.

“We’ve already implemented some of the changes and resolutions to make sure that what happened on the final day doesn’t happen again,” Motsepe said.

Motsepe acknowledged that certain issues exposed during the final were not adequately addressed by existing regulations, pointing to feedback from top-level legal experts.

“It’s interesting when lawyers say some of those things were not foreseen by the rules. These are lawyers who work for FIFA at the highest level, so we learned to identify areas where we could have done things differently and better. We already did a lot of good work.”

According to him, while some of the proposed changes will require ratification at CAF’s Ordinary General Assembly—where all 54 member associations are represented—others are already being enforced through the Executive Committee.

“Some of those changes would have to go the Ordinary General Assembly, but others we’re implementing through the Exco,” Motsepe explained.

The reforms come as CAF seeks to rebuild trust and safeguard the integrity of African football in the aftermath of the disputed AFCON final, which saw Morocco crowned champions. The outcome of that match remains under review by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.