In the hushed corridors of African football, there are official decisions, and then there are unofficial conversations. This is hardly unusual in an environment where sport, power, money, and politics intersect. However, what has unfolded in recent days within Confederation of African Football goes beyond routine influence. It reflects a blatant and openly acknowledged blurring of roles, with journalists exerting pressure on the Executive Committee, even as they claim to expose the very scheming and backroom dealings they denounce. DR ‹ › Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwana, highly active on X, often presents himself as a principled voice, wielding his pen like a sword against what he sees as the dysfunctions of the Confederation of African Football. I first came across him during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, an opinionated commentator in a field where passions run high and positions are often as polarized as rival fan groups. This is what I said to a member of the @CAF_Online exco, after Sunday's meeting at the Giza Palace Hotel in Cairo: "In my opinion, the only way out for CAF, to avoid a legal humiliation at CAS, is to get #Morocco to withdraw their initial complaint, so that #Senegal can… pic.twitter.com/mI5PiSNLYM — Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) March 30, 2026 However, a troubling shift emerged during the CAF Executive Committee meeting held Sunday in Cairo. Present on site, the journalist appeared to step beyond his role, revealing in a post that he had advised a member of the executive body on how to avoid what he described as a potential «legal humiliation» before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. His proposal is striking: pressure Fouzi Lekjaa so that Morocco withdraws its complaint, allowing Senegal to, in turn, drop its appeal to CAS. In other words, a negotiated settlement outside the judicial framework to preserve CAF's image. This is no longer journalism, it is lobbying. Ethics with shifting boundaries What stands out is not the existence of behind-the-scenes discussions, these are part and parcel of football governance, but the fact that a journalist publicly acknowledges taking part in them. The paradox is stark: someone who has denounced «schemes» within CAF now appears to be advocating precisely that a backroom deal to sidestep independent arbitration. Desintox: In Nigeria, two fake news stories about Morocco in less than 48 hours This raises a fundamental question: why the urgency to avoid CAS? Isn't it precisely the role of this court to resolve disputes impartially? CAF president Patrice Motsepe himself has stressed the importance of respecting both internal and external arbitration mechanisms. Yet, behind the scenes, voices outside the institution seem to be pushing for a political settlement over a legal resolution. Morocco asked to step aside? More puzzling still is the underlying logic: in the name of preserving CAF's «honor», Morocco should relinquish its legal rights. On what grounds should a federation withdraw from a legitimate legal process to protect the image of a continental body? Neither Moroccan nor Senegalese officials have advocated bypassing arbitration. On the contrary, recourse to CAS reflects a commitment to transparency and due process. Senegal–CAS–Morocco: the law to close a toxic chapter [Editorial] Beyond this individual case, the episode highlights a broader issue: the increasingly blurred lines between journalists, decision-makers, and influence networks in African football. When a journalist becomes an intermediary, advising, negotiating, shaping outcomes, he ceases to observe the game and becomes part of it. And in that game, one question remains: who is truly afraid of a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport? Behind the curtain One possibility cannot be ignored: that this position reflects a broader current within CAF itself, one keen to avoid a ruling that could expose institutional weaknesses. The planned visits of Patrice Motsepe to Senegal and Morocco may not be coincidental. They could signal an attempt to politically defuse what is, at its core, a legal dispute. Ultimately, this goes beyond a football controversy. It is a clash between two visions: one of African football governed by rules and institutions, and another still shaped by backroom deals, informal influence, and blurred accountability.
