The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will fully comply with the final ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the disputed issues surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, president Patrice Motsepe has insisted.
Speaking at a news conference, Motsepe said the governing body had already reviewed all aspects of the contentious case and checked with its refereeing and regulatory team that the competition rules had been correctly applied.
He described the intense debate and criticism generated by the affair as an understandable reaction from passionate followers of the sport across the continent.
Motsepe stressed that CAF would maintain “absolute neutrality” while the legal process runs its course and made clear the organisation would not seek to influence the arbitration in any way.
He stated that CAF would implement the CAS verdict as soon as it is handed down, underlining that this would be done in full compliance with applicable regulations and with respect for the independence of sporting judicial bodies.
CAF has not disclosed further details of the dispute in question, but the case has triggered significant scrutiny of the decision-making process around the 2025 edition of the competition.
Motsepe’s comments are aimed at reassuring member associations, fans and other stakeholders that CAF will defer entirely to the outcome of the CAS procedure and will not attempt to challenge or reinterpret the ruling once it is delivered.
He reiterated that, in CAF’s view, the existing regulations had been properly followed, but emphasised that the final word now rests with the Lausanne-based court.
The CAF president also framed the controversy as part of the vibrant and sometimes heated nature of football in Africa, where major tournaments such as the Africa Cup of Nations routinely attract high levels of interest and scrutiny.
By committing publicly to respect the CAS decision, CAF is seeking to underline its adherence to international sports law and to distance itself from any perception of interference in judicial processes related to its flagship competition.
The timing of the CAS ruling has not yet been announced, but CAF’s position is that its role is now limited to executing whatever decision is made, once the arbitration panel has completed its work.
