Motsepe to 'respect' CAS decision on AFCON final row

Sadio Mane of Senegal Patrice Motsepe gestures during the AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal at Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah, Rabat, Morocco on January 19, 2026. [AFP]

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) president  Patrice Motsepe said on Sunday he will "respect" the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision on Senegal's appeal against being stripped of its Africa Cup of Nations title.

"I will respect and implement the CAS decision. My personal opinion regarding the matter is irrelevant," Motsepe told a press conference in Cairo after a meeting of CAF executives.

The Senegal appeal came after the CAF appeals body overturned a 1-0 win by Senegal over hosts Morocco in the Cup of Nations final last month.

Many Senegalese players, head coach Pape Thiaw and his staff walked off the pitch in Rabat after Morocco were awarded an added-time penalty.

After they returned, Brahim Diaz missed the penalty. Pape Gueye scored in extra time to win the title decider.

A CAF disciplinary committee later fined various figures from both teams, but did not alter the result.

Morocco then appealed and were awarded a 3-0 victory. Motsepe stressed that the appeal board consists of independent judges and lawyers.

When Senegal played Peru in a 2026 World Cup warm-up in Paris on Saturday, they paraded the Cup of Nations trophy.

Senegal then played in shirts with two stars -- one for their first Cup of Nations triumph in 2022 and the other for their disputed February victory.

Motsepe said he would visit Senegal and Morocco, without giving dates, to stress the importance of "working together to grow African football".

A statement said CAF "is implementing changes and improvements to their statutes and regulations that will strengthen trust and confidence in (African) referees, VAR operators and judicial bodies.

"These changes and improvements to the statutes and regulations will also ensure that the incidents that took place at the final... do not happen again."

Motsepe later announced that Nigeria-born CAF official Samson Adamu would become the caretaker general secretary of the Cairo-based organisation in place of retiring Veron Mosengo-Omba.

Mosengo-Omba, a former FIFA official born in the  Democratic Republic of Congo, has reached the mandatory retirement age of 66 for CAF staff.