The president of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, has openly expressed his frustration over the circumstances surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, revealing that sweeping reforms are already underway to restore confidence in African football.
Speaking during his visit to Morocco, shortly after a trip to Senegal, Motsepe did not hold back in his assessment of the situation. His comments come amid growing scrutiny over decisions and incidents that overshadowed the continent’s biggest football event.
“I have already spoken several times about what happened during the final. I am extremely disappointed, extremely disappointed,” Motsepe stated.
Motsepe’s Admission
The CAF president emphasized that the governing body is taking decisive steps to review and overhaul key systems, including regulations governing competitions like AFCON.
According to him, the aim is to correct existing imbalances and ensure that disciplinary measures are both fair and proportionate.
At the heart of the reforms is a push to introduce more balanced sanctions; punishments that better reflect the nature and severity of offences.
“we are implementing changes to our CAF statutes and regulations, as well as to the AFCON regulations, to make sure that those weaknesses, because the competitions of CAF, and the AFCON competition of CAF, is based on the regulations of FIFA, and is as good as the best regulations of the confederations in the world
CAF Reforms
Beyond disciplinary structures, CAF is also focusing on rebuilding trust in officiating. Motsepe highlighted the importance of reinforcing confidence in refereeing standards and the work of judicial bodies, areas that have often drawn criticism during major tournaments.
The reforms are part of a broader strategy to modernize African football governance and position it more competitively on the world stage.
“So, those regulations are world class, but it is clear to us that some of those regulations have to be changed. And as I said previously, for certain violations of the regulations, the punishments must be commensurate, must be appropriate. And we have to make sure that they’re respected.”
With CAF now acknowledging its shortcomings and committing to action, attention will shift to how quickly and effectively these reforms are implemented and whether they can prevent a repeat of the controversies that marred the 2025 AFCON final.
