The head of African football says every country has the right to appeal, after Senegal were stripped of their Africa Cup of Nations title and Morocco were declared winners.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe said no country gets special treatment and defended the independence of the organisation’s decision-making bodies.
The decision came after CAF’s Appeal Committee reviewed a complaint from Morocco’s football federation. Senegal had originally won the final 1-0 after extra time on 18 January.
The committee ruled that Senegal should be considered to have lost the match, and awarded Morocco a 3-0 win.
In a video message, Motsepe spoke about Senegal’s decision to challenge the ruling.
“This is important, because each of the 54 African countries has the right to use all available avenues of appeal, whether within CAF structures or before the highest sports body, which is the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS),” he said.
“We will accept and respect the decision taken at the highest level.”
He added: “One of the fundamental factors for us is that no country in Africa will be treated in a preferential manner or given advantages over others.”
Senegal’s football federation criticised the decision, calling it “an unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision that undermines the credibility of African football”.
It said it would take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne “as soon as possible”.
The Senegalese government has also called for “an independent international investigation into suspicions of corruption within CAF”.
CAF said its decision was based on tournament rules which state that if a team refuses to play or leaves the pitch before the end of a match, it is considered to have lost and is removed from the competition.
Motsepe said CAF had changed how it selects people for its legal committees.
“We invited each member association and each of CAF’s six zones to submit names of respected judges and lawyers. It is important that the decisions of our disciplinary bodies and appeal committee are viewed with a high degree of respect and integrity,” he said.
“If you look at the composition of these bodies, you will find that they include some of the most respected judges and lawyers on the continent. But we still need to deal with perceptions and concerns related to integrity, and this is an ongoing matter.”
“We set ourselves very high standards. It is important for us that football supporters in the 54 African countries, based on their own judgement, not CAF’s or mine, view the decisions of our judicial bodies as fair, with integrity and impartiality.”
