Not content with being the “White Wizard” of the African continent, Claude Leroy is also very lucid about it. Still stunned by the absurd decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to give victory on the green carpet to Morocco, regularly defeated on the field by Senegal in the CAN 2025 final on January 18 (0-1 after extra time), the latter had anticipated on Tuesday evening that this episode would “make the whole football world laugh”.
This is indeed what former Senegalese international Modou Sougou was able to observe to his cost, when he arrived at the Amiens training center where he works as an educator, this Wednesday morning. “Everyone immediately laughed when they saw me arrive,” explains the former OM striker. And I understand them. Myself, at the time, I said to myself “it’s an early April Fool’s joke”. I fell from a height, I hallucinated, no one could have expected that. Today, I am ashamed for African football. »
“Nonsense”, a “blatant injustice”
His reaction says a lot about the impact of what already looks like a historic fiasco. Because what is at stake here goes well beyond the simple case of Senegal and Morocco. By deciding to change the identity of the winner of the 2025 African Cup of Nations two months after the final, it is the image and credibility of African football in its entirety which has just been undermined by its own leaders.
“It will still give food for thought to all those who criticize the organization of African football,” laments Jacques Faty, another former Senegalese international exiled in Turkey. This completely discredits CAF and its leaders. » At the end, it’s difficult to say if anyone really comes out a winner from this distressing spectacle.
For ex-Central African international Kelly Youga, the debate is quickly settled: “What is the point for Morocco in recovering a cup that it did not win? This is nonsense, a blatant injustice. People will always remember that the Senegalese won on the field and that this CAN 2025 belongs to them. You have to know how to lose with dignity and fair play. Moreover, even the Moroccan players and their coach did not demand such a sanction after the final. »
An opinion shared by former Malian defender Cédric Kanté, who fears that this episode will deeply mark, and for a very long time, relations between Morocco and other countries on the continent.
« I almost want to say that the big loser in this is the Moroccans. They have invested enormously in football in recent years and what people will remember from all this is that we will have witnessed the worst CAN in history. I fear that they will lose their feathers and that it will further taint their relations with other countries on the continent. Maybe they think they’re above it and it’s not their problem, but this affair will leave deep resentments and indelible marks. »
CAF shoots itself in the foot
If the new winner of the CAN does not emerge from this nameless micmac, what can we say about CAF and its leaders, who already did not enjoy a high popularity rating since the election of President Patrice Motsepe? “At the head of institutions, we do not have former high-level athletes but administrators in offices who do not understand the sporting consequences,” complains Kelly Youga. What message do we send to future generations by changing the result of a tournament two months later? We really are in a world without faith or law, and we cannot accept that…”
In its wake, Modou Sougou sees it as a sign of “total incompetence on the part of the people who manage African football”. “If there were decisions to be made, it would have been necessary to do so immediately after the final, or even not let the final resume after the Senegalese left the field,” he continues. But you can’t act like nothing happened, hand out medals, give away the cup, let the players return to the countries to celebrate with their supporters, and then make this decision two months later. »
It remains to be seen what fly has stung CAF to reach such a degree of madness. While Senegal demands that all light be shed on this matter through an independent investigation, some see behind this decision the invisible hand of the powerful Moroccan Federation. “Morocco is a model, it is the country that invests the most in football in Africa. He influences CAF and over time he has established partnership contracts with many African federations,” slips us in off a football leader of an African nation.
“There are a lot of gray areas”
By putting, as it has done in recent years, its (beautiful) sports infrastructures at the service of many African countries in need, Morocco considers, according to some, to have earned the right to a little help within the authorities. This is the case of Abdoulaye Fall, the president of the Senegalese Football Federation, very sharp on the subject after his team’s victory in the final. “Morocco holds CAF, it must be said,” he said in the newspaper The Sun. The Moroccans control everything and decide everything. They have the means, and many countries do not dare to go against their will. There is no country that opposed Morocco like Senegal did. »
Jacques Faty specifies on this subject: “I do not want to blame everything on Morocco, there were lots of good things done during this CAN, it was very well organized. But we must also admit that there are many gray areas which push us to question the real intentions of certain people at CAF and in African football.” Starting with its president Patrice Motsepe, close to Gianni Infantino, who never hid that a final victory for the Atlas Lions would not have displeased him. Puppet president installed there by the boss of Fifa to follow to the letter the directives of the international body, Motsepe is the type to follow the voice of his master.
Having himself experienced the exercise of governance of African football within the Malian Football Federation, Cédric Kanté has no illusions as to the true identity of the big boss of the CAF. “It’s Infantino, he doesn’t even hide it,” he admits. It is omnipresent, not to say omnipotent, in Africa. He is at home, he has all the support he needs to stay in power and hold all the African federations. There is a lack of independence of this African confederation which is alarming. And this decision on Tuesday validates all of that a little. »
Has the time for a big clean-up at CAF come?
Above all, it endangers a long tradition of friendship between “two brother countries”, according to Modou Sougou and Jacques Faty. “Unfortunately, it will further fuel discord after an already very eventful final,” regrets Jacques Faty. It reopens the wound, it’s sad. I ask Senegalese and Moroccan supporters not to fall into the trap, into the poison of division like during the CAN. » If it is impossible to say this Wednesday what will happen to this affair which we are not close to seeing the end of, our interlocutors all hope that this new fiasco will at least serve as an electric shock to people attached to African football.
In order to clean up the authorities in the years to come. “The leaders have failed in their mission,” declaims Modou Sougou. If they don’t have the shoulders to manage CAF, they must leave. But it is up to Africa to manage these issues, it is not up to Fifa to decide what should happen now. It is up to us to have the courage to draw conclusions from what has just happened. »
Our file on CAN 2025
And Jacques Faty added: “There are plenty of competent people in African football, former players who want to get involved, who could give another image of our continent if they managed to take the reins of CAF. It’s gone on long enough, it’s time to clean up and put competent, responsible, honest and transparent people in place. We must work together to hope for better days for African football.” And this even if the task seems more difficult than ever.
Leave a Reply