The aftermath of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 is still causing changes inside the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
After the head of the referees’ committee was removed, reports say another senior official has also lost his job. According to converging sources, the president of CAF’s judicial body, Yacine Othman Robleh, has been dismissed. The decision was reportedly taken by CAF secretary general Véron Mosengo-Omba. The changes are linked to the controversy that followed the final played on 18 January in Rabat.
Earlier, the head of the refereeing commission, Olivier Safari Kabeni, was also removed.
The dispute began after the final between Senegal and Morocco when CAF imposed light sanctions on Senegal. The main issue is a 15-minute walk-off by the Senegal team during the match, which led to a temporary halt. There were also incidents in the stands when Senegalese hooligans tried to storm the pitch and injured security members.
In Morocco, the response was quick.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation officially appealed the decision on 3 February. It argues that the punishments are not in line with the rules and are not serious enough. The federation says the regulations state that a team leaving the pitch without permission should lose the match by forfeit, usually 3 to 0.
Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa also sent a letter directly to CAF president Patrice Motsepe. The letter questioned whether the rules were applied in the same way to both sides.
There is also anger over suspensions given to Moroccan players, including Achraf Hakimi and Ismaël Saibari. Supporters say it is unfair to give long bans for on-pitch arguments while the opposing team faced limited consequences for stopping the match for a quarter of an hour.
For now, CAF matters are being handled by its legal director, Cédric Igai. He is overseeing ongoing cases, including issues linked to matches such as Al Ahly against AS FAR when Egyptian supporters pummeled the Moroccan team with water bottles and shouted death threats throughout the game.
Morocco has confirmed it will continue its appeal. If the CAF appeals process does not change the decision, the federation says it is ready to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
