AFCON 2025 final dispute: African football will grow stronger after CAS ruling – Patrice Motsepe

CAF President Patrice Motsepe addressed the media in Senegal on Wednesday, emphasising unity and resilience in African football amid the ongoing dispute over the 2025 AFCON final.

Before the press conference, Motsepe held discussions with Senegalese Football Association president Abdoulaye Fall and other leaders of football in the country.

The meetings focused on fostering cooperation and addressing challenges facing the continent’s football governance.

Reflecting on the talks, Motsepe underscored that even difficult moments, like the controversy over the AFCON final, can serve as an opportunity for growth.

“I’m confident from this meeting that despite the challenges we have and sometimes the challenges are an important foundation for us to recommit and to re-emphasise our commitment to work together and to grow,” he said.

He also highlighted the CAF’s broader mission of unity, noting that he would carry a message of collaboration to Morocco.

“The people of Morocco, the football leadership and a commitment to work together. And all of us, as I said, must now focus.”

Turning to the ongoing legal process at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Motsepe assured that the ruling would ultimately strengthen African football.

“The judgment will come, and whatever that judgment will be, we will come out stronger and more united, and we’ll move forward. The focus for us now is the World Cup, and African football will grow and be stronger than ever before,” he added.

Meanwhile, the CAF President is expected to travel to Morocco for an engagement with the leadership of football in the North African country.