Pinnick exonerates Motsepe of blame for decision against Senegal

A former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, has stated that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) leadership had no direct involvement in the controversial decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title. He further stressed that CAF’s leadership, including President Patrice Motsepe, was taken aback by the outcome […]

A former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, has stated that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) leadership had no direct involvement in the controversial decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.

He further stressed that CAF’s leadership, including President Patrice Motsepe, was taken aback by the outcome and does not interfere with the work of the organisation’s independent judicial bodies.

The ruling followed incidents during the AFCON 2025 final on January 18, 2026, after which CAF initially sanctioned both Senegal and Morocco.

However, an appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation led the CAF Appeal Board to overturn the earlier decision, awarding Morocco a 3–0 walkover victory and the title.

The outcome triggered widespread criticism across the African football community, with much of the backlash aimed at CAF President, Patrice Motsepe.

Speaking on Arise TV and monitored by our correspondent, Pinnick who is the deputy Chairperson of the FIFA Men’s national team’s competition committee acknowledged the public reaction but suggested that many critics may not fully understand how CAF’s decision-making structure operates.

“The CAF leadership does not have a hand in whatever decision that was taken that I can tell you for free the same way you are surprised I believe the same way the CAF president is also surprised. It came as a surprise to a lot of people, and I just feel that the optics have not been very good since the verdict came out,” he said.

While refraining from discussing the technical details of the case, Pinnick defended CAF’s leadership, insisting they should not be blamed for decisions taken by independent bodies.

“I’m not going to speak on the legality or the technicality of the game, I just feel very bad that the leadership of CAF is being questioned, knowing fully well that the leadership is well and truly committed to building football in Africa beyond the comprehension of anybody.”

Pinnick stressed that both the CAF Disciplinary Board and Appeal Board function autonomously and were not appointed by the organisation’s leadership.