A senior official within the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has publicly apologized to Morocco over what he described as a “great injustice” suffered by the national team during the most recent Africa Cup of Nations final.
Speaking to The Guardian, Samir Sobha, president of the Mauritius Football Association and a member of CAF’s executive committee, said Morocco had been unfairly treated in the final held in Rabat, which ended in a 1–0 defeat following a disputed penalty decision and a temporary walk-off by Senegal’s players before play resumed. Sobha argued that tournament regulations were not properly enforced and that Moroccan players and supporters had legitimate grounds to feel wronged.
“I want to plead with the Moroccan FA to forgive us for the injustice done to them,” Sobha said, emphasizing that although the final result cannot be reversed, CAF should recognize that procedural rules were not respected as they should have been. He added that, based on his reading of the competition guidelines, players who left the pitch during the interruption should have faced immediate disciplinary sanctions — a measure he believes was overlooked.
Sobha stressed that his remarks were not intended to strip Senegal of the trophy, but rather to acknowledge that Morocco had not benefited from an equal application of the rules. His statements are among the first explicit acknowledgments from within CAF’s executive ranks that irregularities may have influenced the outcome of the final, lending renewed weight to Moroccan criticism that had largely remained within media commentary and public debate.
The Mauritian official coupled his apology with broader criticism of CAF’s internal governance, questioning the legal standing of General Secretary Véron Mosengo-Omba and arguing that his mandate had expired under the organization’s retirement regulations. Sobha nonetheless expressed personal respect for CAF President Patrice Motsepe, while urging corrective measures to safeguard institutional credibility and adherence to statutes.
