Motsepe Calls for CAF Executive Committee Meeting to Review Regulations and Disciplinary Code

Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has called for a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee (EXCO) to make certain decisions outside the Ordinary General Assembly and to review CAF regulations, including the Disciplinary Code. This comes in the wake of unacceptable events witnessed during the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations "Morocco 2025".

Motsepe clarified that the objective of this review is to empower CAF's judicial bodies to impose appropriate and deterrent sanctions for any serious violations of CAF's statutes or regulations, as well as for any conduct that gravely undermines the reputation, integrity, respect, and competitiveness of African football and CAF competitions globally.

The CAF President affirmed that these measures are part of strengthening oversight on compliance with laws and ensuring that African football and CAF competitions remain globally respected and admired.

The Disciplinary Committee had previously issued strict sanctions against all parties involved, including players, technical staff, and fans, to ensure respect for fair play rules and to maintain the integrity of matches and continental competitions.

The Disciplinary Committee had decided to suspend Senegal's coach, Pape Bouna Thiaw, for five official matches and fine him $100,000 for unsporting behavior and undermining the principles of fair play and the image of football. Players Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr were also suspended for two matches each due to unsporting behavior towards the referee. Additionally, financial penalties totaling $615,000 were imposed on the Senegalese Football Federation, covering fan behavior, unsporting conduct by players and technical staff, and penalties related to five players receiving yellow cards during the match.

The Committee also suspended Morocco's Achraf Hakimi for two matches, one of which was suspended for a year, while Ismael Saibari was suspended for three official matches and fined $100,000 for unsporting behavior. Furthermore, financial penalties totaling $315,000 were imposed on the Royal Moroccan Football Federation due to inappropriate behavior by ball boys, the use of lasers by some fans, and the intrusion of players and technical staff into the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review area, obstructing the referee's work.