Former Nigeria international, Sam Sodje, has weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding CAF and its decision to award the AFCON 2025 title to Morocco.
Sodje acknowledged that CAF could be legally justified if its regulations clearly sanction teams for walking off the pitch.
However, he stressed that from a football perspective, the situation remains highly contentious, particularly as Senegal completed the match and secured victory on the field.
“Let’s take away emotions and personal opinions. Let’s talk about law. CAF had the right to forfeit the moment Senegal walked off.”
However, Sodje questioned the consistency of the process, pointing out that the match continued despite the breach.
“I think CAF is making a big mistake. They should have just left it.”
He further emphasized that Senegal’s strongest argument may lie in the fact that the game was not halted at the time of the incident.
“This is why Senegal is going to CAS because in court they will argue that the game was continued.
“If the game was interrupted and forfeited, then they won’t have a case. But as it stands Senegal has chance to win that case because the game continued and they won on the pitch.
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“They should not have continued playing the game but listen ‘it’s a but’ I feel in court it would be based on evidence and it’s not about opinions and feelings. They do have a chance because the game was continued.”
Sodje concluded that any final ruling would ultimately depend on evidence and interpretation of CAF’s regulations, rather than sentiment.
