Afcon: CAF president Patrice Motsepe says final ‘deficiency’ has been addressed

Despite Motsepe’s assurances that African football had emerged from the tournament “stronger than ever”, the January 18 incident at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat and the subsequent move to hand over the trophy to Morocco undoubtedly undermined Caf’s efforts to project a better image.

Nigel Rio-Coker was among the pundits who went viral for his comments, with the former West Ham and Aston Villa midfielder telling US broadcaster CBS Sports that the decision to strip Senegal of their crown was an “embarrassment”.

“It gives other federations around the world a chance to laugh at the cafe, laugh at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and laugh at Africa as a continent because of how this whole situation has been handled,” he continued.

The Senegalese Football Federation described it as: “robbery” and challenged the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The reputational damage was so severe that Motsepe embarked on diplomatic tours of both Senegal and Morocco to rebuild trust.

“We await the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for sport and African football continues to grow and develop,” said the 64-year-old, who was Re-elected unopposed for a second term In March last year.

“Whatever decision is made, we will respect and implement.”