The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rolled out new rules after the controversy that surrounded the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final held in Morocco.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe confirmed on May 13 that problems linked to officiating and match control contributed to the confusion that ended the tournament’s final match.
The final in Rabat originally ended with Senegal being named champions after a 1-0 victory in extra time. However, the decision was later reversed after an appeal process, which awarded the title to Morocco following disciplinary actions tied to Senegal’s protest walk-off after a late VAR penalty decision. 
The match also attracted heavy criticism due to security issues inside the stadium and accusations of misconduct, including the “towelgate” incident involving Senegal’s goalkeeper and match assistants.
Speaking to BBC Sport Africa, Motsepe said CAF had already carried out a full internal review of what happened.
“We’ve done good work in terms of building the confidence and the trust amongst the football community of our referees and of our VAR,” he said.
He admitted that the organisation still faced challenges and said lessons had been learned from the problems in Morocco.
“But there are still these challenges, and we’ve recognised what the deficiencies were that led to the unfortunate incidents we had in Morocco.
“We’ve introduced new laws, new regulations which will ensure that doesn’t happen again.”
Motsepe also explained that CAF is still working to improve refereeing quality and VAR consistency across African competitions.
“We are continuing to improve the system, because African football must be judged by the highest standards of fairness and integrity,” he said.
The Senegal Football Federation has described the final decision as a “robbery” and has taken the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where a final ruling is still being awaited.
“We are waiting for the judgment of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and African football is continuing to grow and develop,” Motsepe said. “Whatever decision comes, we will respect and implement.”
CAF added that the new reforms will focus on better VAR management, stronger security coordination, and clearer disciplinary rules to avoid a repeat of the controversy.
