When Patrice Motsepe sat down with BBC Sport Africa at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, the Confederation of African Football president had a clear message: his organisation is fixing what went wrong. The 64-year-old South African acknowledged the "deficiencies" that turned January's Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco into chaos — and outlined a path forward.
The match itself was dramatic enough. Senegal emerged victorious on the pitch, winning 1-0 after extra time against Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. But what followed was anything but straightforward. Senegal walked off in protest after Morocco received a controversial penalty following a VAR review in second-half injury time. Stadium security clashed with fans. Morocco faced accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct in what became known as 'towelgate' — a series of incidents involving players and ballboys moving the Senegal goalkeeper's towel. In March, a Caf appeal board stripped Senegal of their title and handed the trophy to the hosts instead.
The fallout was severe. The Senegalese Football Federation called it a "robbery" and challenged the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Pundits roundly criticised the decision, with former West Ham and Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker telling US broadcaster CBS Sports it was an "embarrassment" that gave other federations "an opportunity to laugh at Caf."
Motsepe embarked on a diplomatic tour of both Senegal and Morocco to rebuild trust, and he insists the continent's football is stronger for the experience. "We've introduced new laws, new regulations which will ensure that doesn't happen again," he told the BBC. The organisation has also focused on rebuilding confidence in referees and VAR technology. "We've done good work in terms of building the confidence and the trust amongst the football community of our referees and of our VAR."
Whatever the CAS ruling brings, Motsepe says Caf will respect and implement it. "African football is continuing to grow and develop," he said. And with Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda preparing to co-host the next Afcon in 2027, the governing body will be hoping that new safeguards — and fresh momentum — carry the continent's game forward.