The President of the Confederation of African Football, Patrice Motsepe, is set to travel to Senegal today to meet with the country’s leadership following the controversial decision by the CAF Appeals Board to award Morocco the Africa Cup of Nations title weeks ago.
Motsepe had earlier promised, more than a week ago, to meet with Senegal’s President as well as the President of the national football federation on Tuesday.
At the heart of the discussions: the sensitive issue of the Africa Cup of Nations final, currently pending before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Faced with tensions between the various parties, Patrice Motsepe had announced his intention to prioritize dialogue in order to find a peaceful resolution to this matter.
In this already tense climate, the State of Senegal had, for its part, shown its willingness to open an international investigation into suspicions of corruption linked to this case, further increasing the pressure around this crisis.
The announcement of the CAF president’s visit certainly didn’t go unnoticed. A wave of indignation quickly emerged on social media, illustrating the level of tension and exasperation felt by a segment of the public, which is already affected by the detention of 18 Senegalese supporters in Rabat.
This visit to Dakar could therefore prove decisive in the management of this explosive issue, which mixes sporting, political and institutional stakes on a continental scale.
