DR ‹ › Olivier Safarie, president of the referees' committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has plunged the organization into controversy after admitting he instructed the referee of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) final not to issue yellow cards to Senegalese players, in an effort to avoid expulsions. During a press conference held this Thursday, April 9, at the Maâmora sports complex in Salé, CAF's secretary-general avoided addressing the sensitive issue. «As the president indicated, CAF is following the procedure in its entirety until its conclusion. Until then, CAF will focus solely on the proper conduct of this procedure and will make absolutely no decision» on the matter. CAF president Patrice Motsepe, for his part, appeared hesitant when questioned about measures to prevent future team withdrawals, similar to Senegal's walk-off during the 2025 CAN final against the Atlas Lions. Motsepe stated that «respect and credibility must be earned... We must ensure that what happened during the 2025 AFCON final does not happen again».
