AFCON
CAF VP, FOUZI LEKJAA OPENS CAN OF WORMS IN CAF
The president of Morocco’s Royal Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, who is also a vice president in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has pointed fingers at the “deep-seated” corruption and “other dysfunction” at the heart of the confederation.
In a report published in Morocco World News, Lekjaa reportedly made the comments during an FRMF meeting in Skhirat, a coastal town between Rabat and Casablanca.
According to the report, Lekjaa vented his frustration at CAF for the “unfair” and “biased” treatment Moroccan clubs have faced while participating in African tournaments.
Amid the still unsettled Wydad-ES Tunis scandal, the Moroccan official’s statements reflect the feeling, widely reported in news outlets and expressed among some CAF officials in the past months, that Moroccan club Wydad was victim of a deliberate VAR-rigging by its Tunisian opponent.
The VAR system at the Rades stadium in Tunis was defective on match day during the second leg between Morocco’s Wydad and Tunisia’s Esperance.
The game was later stopped halfway through when Wydad players requested that the referee use VAR to confirm an equalizing goal. Only after the match did Wydad learn that the stadium’s VAR system had broken down shortly before the game.
Without giving names, Lekjaa reiterated his earlier comments at the latest CAF executive meeting on reforms, saying that a “rich man” who has made his fortune in the energy sector is currently pulling the CAF strings from behind the curtains.
This, he contended, is reason enough to argue that almost all of CAF’s most critical decisions in the past years have been made in a way that favours the unnamed energy mogul’s agenda. “Some teams have been benefitting” from CAF’s currently rotten management system, he claimed.
Other than the “biased” ruling, which he said helped deny Wydad its “legitimate right” to be the winner over ES Tunis, Lekjaa spoke of the age problem in junior African football competitions for national teams. He complained about many countries getting way with age falsification, when the ages of much older players are reduced to make them eligible for their countries’ U17 or U23 teams.
A recent age falsification occurred at the latest U17 CAN in Morocco’s group, where both Guinea and Cameroon were suspected of using ineligible players.
Cameroon succeeded in brushing off the accusations, showing birth certificates and other documents that helped settle the debate. But the proof against Guinea—including former passports of the two players whose age was disputed—was damming. Guinea’s U17 squad was later revealed to have indeed used two players in their twenties.
But only after the tournament, whose final Guinea played and lost against Cameroon, was the West African country punished.
Lekjaa also said that Morocco has provided enough proof that the U23 teams of DR Congo and Mali, both of which recently defeated and eliminated Morocco’s U23 squad from continental tournaments, used “false ages” for some of their players. But, Lekjaa blustered, CAF never punished them.
The Moroccan’s indignation comes as CAF undergoes reformist winds at FIFA’s request.
Recently, FIFA appointed its secretary general, the Senegalese Fatma Samoura, as a special supervisor for CAF. The Senegalese comes with a special mandate to cleanse the African footballing body of the pile of scandals its senior officials, including its president, have been associated with in the past months.
Lekjaa, who was recently appointed to be part of the special committee that will be working with Samoura to root out CAF’s deep-seated corruption, finally called for “profound reforms” of CAF management.
He suggested that, despite a large pool of talented players, corruption and favoritism in the highest echelons of African football are some essential reasons why the continent is still battling to reach the level of other confederations.
AFCON
Nigerians, other nationals can apply, as CAF and Morocco Launch Volunteer Programme for AFCON 2025
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) in Morocco have launched the official Volunteer Programme for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, billed to run from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.
According to CAF, more than 4,000 volunteers will be recruited to play a central role in ensuring the success of Africa’s most prestigious football tournament, which will be staged across six cities and nine stadiums in Morocco.
Applications are now open at volunteers.cafonline.com and will close on 8 October 2025. The opportunity is open to anyone above the age of 18.
Volunteers will be deployed across multiple functional areas, including media operations, spectator services, accreditation, hospitality, and fan engagement. Selected individuals will receive professional training ahead of the competition and work behind the scenes to deliver a memorable AFCON.
CAF stated that the programme is designed not only to support tournament operations but also to create an alumni network of skilled Africans who can contribute to future sporting events across the continent. Successful applicants will benefit from:
- Training and skill development.
- Official uniforms and certificates of participation.
- Networking opportunities with peers and professionals.
- The chance to contribute to Africa’s football legacy.
Volunteer registration opened on 17 September 2025. Selection and training will take place in October and November, with operations commencing in mid-December through to the tournament’s conclusion on 18 January 2026.
CAF described the initiative as an “exciting opportunity” for Africans to contribute to the growth of the continent’s flagship sporting event, which is expected to draw millions of visitors to Morocco.
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AFCON
CAF Security Chief, Nigeria’s Emeruwa, Leads Inspection of Tangier Stadium Ahead of Major Tournaments
Nigeria’s Dr. Christian Emeruwa, President of the Security and Safety Division of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), on Thursday, September 18, led an inspection visit to the Grand Stade de Tangier as preparations intensify for upcoming continental and global football events.
Emeruwa, who heads CAF’s continental security architecture, was joined by CAF Secretary General Véron Mosengo-Omba, senior Moroccan officials, and executives of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
The delegation also included managers of operational companies at the Grand Stade and SONARGES executives.
According to Le 360, the Nigerian official expressed satisfaction with the stadium’s facilities after touring key operational areas, including the main control room with its giant surveillance screen, as well as spectator, player, and VIP access zones.
The inspection was bolstered by the presence of Morocco’s top security and administrative officers—the regional commander of the Royal Gendarmerie, officials of the Auxiliary Forces and Civil Protection, the Wali of Security, the governor in charge of Internal Affairs, and representatives of the National Agency for Public Equipment (ANEP).
A technical meeting followed the tour, where engineers presented recent safety and security upgrades. Among the highlights was the planned installation of a FIFA-standard tarpaulin roof to enhance the venue’s compliance with global hosting requirements.
For Nigeria, the spotlight on Dr. Emeruwa underscores the country’s growing influence in African football administration, particularly in the critical areas of safety and security management for CAF competitions.
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Morocco has received 723 high-end buses from Chinese manufacturer Yutong as part of preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicks off on December 21.
Yutong said on social media that the fleet “has officially rolled off the production line” and will provide “comprehensive transport services and reliable operational support” during the tournament.
An official handover ceremony was held on Friday at the company’s facility in Zhengzhou, Henan province, attended by Moroccan representatives and Yutong executives.
The buses were designed to cope with Morocco’s terrain and climate, including steep slopes, heat and sandstorms. They feature an independent front axle suspension to navigate narrow city streets and Yutong’s in-house “Blue Core System” for fuel efficiency.
The delivery is the largest single order of Chinese buses in Africa. Yutong will station more than 100 technicians in Morocco to provide training, maintenance and round-the-clock support during AFCON.
The deal is part of Morocco’s broader transport strategy, which includes plans to purchase 7,000 new buses by 2030—half of them electric—as the country prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
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