Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), is on an official visit to Senegal today. He was welcomed in the early hours of Wednesday by Abdoulaye Fall, President of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF). According to a CAF statement, Motsepe will first visit Gorée Island before meeting Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. He will hold a press conference at 5:30 PM to address several sensitive issues affecting African football, including the awarding of the CAN 2025 trophy to Morocco.

A visit aimed at calming tensions

Motsepe announced in late March that he would travel to Senegal and Morocco to emphasize the importance of «working together to develop African football», as his organization faces mounting criticism following the CAF Appeals Committee’s decision to strip Senegal of its CAN 2025 title in favor of Morocco. The Senegalese Football Federation has since filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is expected to rule in the coming months.

Context of rising tensions

Senegal’s government demanded an international investigation on March 18 into «suspicions of corruption within the governing bodies» of the African football governing body. Motsepe responded by stating that no African country receives preferential treatment, highlighting the «independence» of its disciplinary bodies.