A senior Confederation of African Football (CAF) official has condemned the “great injustice” suffered by Morocco during last month’s Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat, saying rules were not respected during chaotic scenes involving Senegal’s team and supporters, The Guardian reported.
Samir Sobha, president of the Mauritius Football Association and a CAF executive committee member, apologized to Morocco for the controversial handling of the match, in which a disputed stoppage-time penalty led Senegal’s players to walk off for nearly 15 minutes.
Senegalese fans attempted to storm the pitch, clashed with stewards, and threw objects, including chairs.
Despite the disruption, CAF imposed sanctions that Morocco argues were lenient toward Senegal. The Moroccan football federation had said it will appeal the disproportionate CAF sanctions, which also penalized some Moroccan players.
FIFA’s chief, who attended the final game, had condemned the behavior of Senegalese players and fans.
The laws of the game were not applied correctly and Senegal’s players should have been cautioned for abandoning the match, Sobha told the Guardian.
Moroccans “were robbed,” he said. “We can’t change the trophy winner, but we should admit an injustice has been done.”
He also criticized CAF’s internal governance, saying general secretary Véron Mosengo Omba is “occupying the seat illegally” after exceeding the retirement age stipulated in CAF regulations.
Mosengo Omba, appointed in 2021 at age 61, reached the mandatory retirement age of 63 in 2022, and his three-year extension expired in October 2025, Sobha said.
He argued that the general secretary is “in no legal position to make decisions or sign documents” and urged CAF president Patrice Motsepe to rectify the situation.