The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, began an official visit to Senegal on Wednesday to calm the tense situation following the CAF Appeals Committee's decision to withdraw the African champion title from Senegal and award it to Morocco, a decision that Senegal appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
According to the official Facebook page of the federation, Motsepe arrived in Dakar today and was received by the president of the Senegalese Football Federation, Abdoulaye Fall, and Senegalese football leaders.
Senegal and Morocco crisis
Radio France Internationale noted that Motsepe’s visit to Dakar comes before a similar visit to Morocco, to calm the critical situation that African football has been suffering from since the Africa Cup of Nations final match between the two countries“ national teams, which witnessed widespread chaos that the world considered a disgrace to African sport.
An informed source stressed that the visit is indeed aimed at calming the situation, and that Motsepe is scheduled to meet with the Senegalese football leadership and also hold a meeting with Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
Senegalese Football Federation
The source noted that among the points that could be discussed was the situation of the eighteen Senegalese fans detained in Rabat since the final match, with a new hearing scheduled for Monday, April 13.
Sports websites quoted statements from the president of the Senegalese Federation, Abdoulaye Fall, in which he confirmed that his country welcomes the president of the African Union, and said, “We will receive him with open arms, for Senegal will remain the land of Teranga, which means hospitality and generosity.”.
It is worth noting that Senegal has appealed the decision to strip them of their African title to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, and Fall has vowed to campaign against the CAF's decision, saying, "Faced with this administrative injustice, the Senegalese Football Federation refuses to surrender. We will wage a moral and legal battle against this decision.".
