Morocco’s Bold Move Against CAF: Can Final Fallout Rewire African Football?

Background

From boycott to apologies over championships.

Egyptian broadcaster Ahmed Shobier, national team goalkeeper, outlined startling developments and anger inside the Moroccan Football Federation toward CAF, noting the crisis compelled Fouzi Lekgaj, the federation's president and CAF vice president, to take decisive escalation moves publicly and privately.

And Shobier explained, during his show 'With Shobier' on On Sport radio, that Fouzi Lekgaj decided to boycott African Confederation's Executive Committee meeting scheduled for Friday in Tanzania amid heated debate, international interest across Africa today.

And he stressed this stance protested what the Moroccan federation called 'the very light punishment' CAF imposed on the Senegalese side (players, coach, and federation) after the CAN final against Morocco, which Senegal won as fans watched.

What’s at Stake

And he conveyed Moroccan officials' view CAF's penalties were too lenient, calling them 'pampering' toward Senegal, while Morocco pressed for penalties commensurate with the violations, and misinterpretation for clarity.

In a striking comparison, Shobier praised Moroccan federation's professionalism, saying: 'In Morocco they acted smart; they did not peddle rematch dreams or alter results as sometimes seen in Egypt.'

And he revealed the response extended beyond Lekgaj and others skipping the Tanzania meeting, reaching a decision to withdraw from hosting the Africa Cup of Nations women's tournament for now.

And separately, Shobier noted the meeting chaired by Patrice Motsepe in Tanzania would discuss organizing future editions of the Africa Cup of Nations for fans.

And, citing the British Guardian, he warned of a real chance the 2027 edition could be canceled, which of course adds to the chaos—great for fans, zero for analysts, and memes online, seriously.