00:00I've been informed of the ruling by the CAF Appeals Board concerning the appeal by Morocco relating to the AFCON
00:11-Morocco 2025 final match.
00:15And I previously expressed my extreme disappointment with the incidences that took place at the final match.
00:30And the important thing of what happened on that final match is it undermines the good work that CAF has
00:41done over many, many years to ensure that there's integrity, that there's respect, that there's ethics, that there's governance, as
00:51well as credibility of the results of our football matches.
00:55The occurrences, those incidences at the final match of the AFCON-Morocco exposes is the work that we are still
01:09dealing with concerning the suspicion and distrust. It's a legacy issue.
01:16When I became president, one of the major concerns was the impartiality, the independence and the respect of referees and
01:29match commissioners.
01:31And a lot of good, good work has been done. But there continues to be suspicion because it's a legacy
01:41issue. It's something that has been there for many, many years.
01:44And we consistently deal with that because that's critically important.
01:50Another important matter that these incidences at the final match brought to the fore is the independence and the respect
02:04of our judicial bodies.
02:08We, in choosing the members of our judicial bodies, we followed a different path, different from what had been the
02:17case before.
02:18We invited each member association and we invited every zone, the six regional areas or the six zones in CAF
02:30to give us names of respected judges and respected lawyers
02:34because it is important that the decisions of our disciplinary board and the decisions of the CAF appeals board is
02:47viewed with respect and integrity that's very important to us.
02:51So if you look at the composition of those bodies, they reflect some of the most respected lawyers and judges
02:59on the continent.
02:59And so, but we will still have to deal with this, with the perceptions and the concerns about the integrity.
03:11It's an ongoing issue. We are very clear at CAF that we are enormously committed to ensure that not only
03:22in terms of what we do,
03:23because we've implemented best practices, we've identified judges and lawyers from every region, from every zone, from the 54 countries
03:38in Africa,
03:39to make sure that these are people who have integrity and have a track record.
03:45And, you know, partly the independence is reflected by the decisions that were taken by the two bodies.
03:54The CAF disciplinary board took one decision. The CAF appeals board took a totally different position.
04:03And I'm told that Senegal is going to appeal, which is very important.
04:10Every one of the 54 nations in Africa have a right to pursue their appeals and their advanced interests,
04:21not only at the highest level in Africa, in CAF, but also the highest body, which is the CAF.
04:30And we will adhere and respect the decision that's taken at the highest level.
04:39A critical factor is that not a single country in Africa will be treated in a manner that is more
04:49preferential,
04:51or more advantageous, or more favourable than any other country on the African continent.
04:57We take what has happened at the final match in Morocco during the AFGON, the Total Energies CAF, Morocco 2025,
05:08we take it very, very seriously.
05:10And we have already started with very important steps to make sure that those areas which have been identified as
05:19deficiencies
05:19and where there's need for improvement, that the necessary resolutions are passed.
05:24We have very high standards that we set for ourselves.
05:27It is important for us that ordinary football supporters and spectators in every one of the 54 countries in Africa,
05:36in their judgment, in their judgment, not in CAF's judgment, not in my judgment, regard the decisions of our judicial
05:43bodies as fair,
05:45with integrity and impartiality, and what is equally important, that they regard our referees, our VAR operators,
05:54and our match commissioners, and our match commissioners as people who are fair and just,
05:59and those decisions that are taken reflects the impartiality and independence that's critically important.
06:06To be continued...
