The president of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), Abdoulaye Fall, has said that Morocco is having overbearing influence on the Confederation of African Football, CAF following a controversial conclusion to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Fall’s remarks came days after Senegal secured their second AFCON title with a 1–0 victory over Morocco in Rabat. While the triumph marked another historic milestone for Senegalese football, the final itself was marred by protests, officiating disputes and organisational concerns that overshadowed the occasion.
Speaking in an interview cited by Foot Mercato, Fall accused Morocco of exerting disproportionate control over CAF, claiming that the imbalance extended far beyond decisions made on the field.
“Morocco controls the Confederation of African Football, let’s be clear. They control everything and decide everything,” Fall said.
“Morocco never believed another team could prevent them from winning the title,” he said. “No country opposed Morocco as strongly as Senegal did.”
Fall revealed that Senegal raised serious concerns over their accommodation ahead of the final, prompting intervention from Senegal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He claimed CAF failed to provide clarity until late in the process.
“Even before qualification, I sent our secretary general to inspect the site,” Fall explained. “We repeatedly asked about the hotel, but they refused to tell us. When we finally found out, it was unacceptable.”
He added that the hotel was located in a noisy city centre and unsuitable for a team contesting a continental final.
The FSF also rejected proposals for the team to train at the Mohammed VI Sports Complex, Morocco’s national team base, which had been used by other visiting teams earlier in the tournament.
“They wanted to force us to train at their main camp,” Fall said. “I made it clear: we would not go there.”
While praising the quality of the complex, Fall argued that training at a facility so closely associated with Morocco posed unacceptable risks.
“It is extremely modern even Senegal does not have infrastructure of that level,” he said. “But training there would expose us completely.”
