By Kunle Solaja, who was at AFCON 2025 in Morocco.

By any objective measure, the chaotic Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 final in Rabat was meant to be a celebration of African football. Instead, it has become a case study in how not to apply disciplinary justice, and Morocco finds itself at the centre of the fallout.

The decision of the CAF Disciplinary Committee to hand down what many observers have described as “incoherent and timid” sanctions following the January 18 final between hosts Morocco and Senegal has triggered serious questions about consistency, proportionality and equality before the rules.

Those questions have now been amplified by Raymond Hack, the immediate past chairman of CAF’s Disciplinary Committee, who, according to Osasu Obayiuwana, a journalist, broadcaster and lawyer, described the incident as “probably the most important, and certainly the most embarrassing situation” CAF has ever faced, outside of tragedies involving loss of life or stadium collapses.

Failure to apply CAF’s own rules

Central to the controversy is CAF’s apparent refusal to apply its own Disciplinary Code. Both the match commissioner and the referee reportedly stated clearly that the Senegalese team left the pitch in protest following a VAR decision. Under Articles 82 and 84 of the CAF Disciplinary Code, such an act attracts strict and automatic sanctions, including forfeiture and heavy disciplinary consequences.

Yet those provisions were never invoked.

For Moroccan officials and supporters, this omission represents a serious breach of the principle of equality before the rules. Hosting the final in Rabat placed Morocco under intense global scrutiny, yet when order broke down, the governing body appeared unwilling to enforce the very regulations designed to protect the integrity of the competition.

Disproportionate and illogical punishments

Hack was unsparing in his assessment of the penalties imposed, especially the five-match suspension and $100,000 fine handed to Senegal coach Pape Thiaw.

Pape Thiaw beckoning on the Senegalese players to leave the pitch.

“The entire incident was caused by the coach of the Senegalese team, who took it upon himself to call the players off,” Hack said. “If he had not done that, you may not have had the reaction from the supporters that you had, or the reaction from the players.”

In disciplinary terms, the sanctions have been widely criticised as disproportionate when compared with previous CAF cases.

Saibari was once suspended for three matches for moving a towel. Samuel Eto’o received a four-match ban for misconduct in the stands and not on the pitch. Yet a coach who effectively sabotaged a continental final broadcast to the world and in the presence of both the FIFA President, the CAF President and the representative of the leadership of the host nation, received only a marginal slap on the wrist.

To many in Morocco, this sends a troubling message: that the gravest offence of disrupting a showpiece final ranks only marginally above minor breaches of discipline. A player who gets two yellow cards is punished with a match suspension.

Yet a coach, who put the continent in a disgraceful situation, is suspended for five matches and fined – a penalty that his football federation will easily write off.

Damage to Morocco’s moment on the continental stage

The Rabat final was not just another match. It was Africa’s biggest football occasion, staged in one of the continent’s most modern footballing environments, with Morocco positioning itself as a model host ahead of future global tournaments.

Instead, images of chaos, pitch abandonment, and unruly behaviour were beamed worldwide.

Hack, the former CAF head of the disciplinary committee,  warned that the episode reinforced damaging stereotypes CAF has spent years trying to erase. “Again, it gives the impression that Africa doesn’t know how to control its spectators,” he said, noting that only the intervention of Senegal captain Sadio Mané prevented the situation from descending into tragedy.

For Morocco, the frustration is acute: the host nation complied with its organisational obligations, yet the disciplinary aftermath has left the stain of the final lingering far longer than the football itself.

What CAF should have done

According to Hack and several legal observers, CAF missed a critical opportunity to assert authority and protect the competition.

First, the Disciplinary Committee should have applied Articles 82 and 84 strictly, recognising the walk-off as an automatic and serious offence, irrespective of the emotions surrounding a final.

Second, the coach responsible should have faced a far heavier sanction, including a ban from all football activities for a minimum of six months, rather than a five-match suspension that still allows participation in marquee events like the World Cup.

Third, CAF should have placed greater responsibility on the Senegalese federation, both financially and administratively, to reinforce the principle that teams and officials are accountable for their conduct on the biggest stages.

Finally, CAF ought to have issued a firmer, clearer ruling that prioritised deterrence, credibility and institutional integrity over damage control.

A missed moment for leadership

For Morocco, the AFCON final was meant to be a showcase of progress, infrastructure and footballing ambition. Instead, the post-match handling has overshadowed the host nation’s achievement.

As Hack put it bluntly, “They missed the opportunity to really impose sanctions which were necessary.”

In Rabat, and across Africa, the lingering question remains whether CAF’s disciplinary framework is truly fit for purpose — or whether, when it matters most, the rules are simply optional.

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By Kunle Solaja.

The Confédération of African Football (CAF) has imposed a raft of disciplinary sanctions on the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF), the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF), as well as several players and officials, following incidents that marred the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 final.

In a statement issued after deliberations by its Disciplinary Board, CAF said the sanctions were imposed for violations of the CAF Disciplinary Code, particularly breaches of the principles of fair play, integrity and conduct that brought the game into disrepute.

Senegal Hit with Heavy Suspensions and Fines

Senegal bore the brunt of the sanctions, with national team head coach Pape Bouna Thiaw handed a five-match suspension from official CAF competitions for unsporting conduct. CAF ruled that his actions violated the principles of fair play and integrity and brought the game into disrepute. He was also fined USD 100,000.

Two Senegalese players were also sanctioned for their conduct towards match officials. Iliman Cheikh Baroy NdiayeandIsmaila Sarrwere each suspended for two official CAF matches for unsporting behaviour towards the referee.

At the federation level, the FSF was fined a total of USD 615,000. CAF imposed a USD 300,000 fine for the improper conduct of Senegalese supporters, which brought the game into disrepute, and another USD 300,000 fine for the unsporting conduct of the team’s players and technical staff. An additional USD 15,000 fine was levied after five Senegalese players received cautions during the match.

Moroccan Players, FA Also Sanctioned

Morocco was not spared, as CAF also imposed disciplinary measures on players and the Moroccan football federation.

Star defender Achraf Hakimi was suspended for two official CAF matches, with one match suspended for a probationary period of one year, for unsporting behaviour. Midfielder Ismaël Saibari received a three-match suspension and was fined USD 100,000 for similar offences.

The Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) was fined USD 200,000 for the inappropriate behaviour of stadium ball boys during the final. CAF also imposed a USD 100,000 fine on the FRMF for the improper conduct of Morocco’s players and technical staff, who invaded the VAR review area and obstructed the referee’s work, in violation of Articles 82 and 83 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

In addition, the Moroccan federation was fined USD 15,000 for the use of lasers by its supporters during the match.

CAF Rejects Morocco’s Protest

CAF also addressed the protest lodged by the FRMF against the FSF, which alleged violations of Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations during the final.

After reviewing the complaint, the CAF Disciplinary Board rejected the protest in its entirety, ruling that the claims did not warrant disciplinary action under the cited regulations.

The CAF decisions bring formal closure to the disciplinary proceedings arising from the controversial AFCON 2025 final, which had been overshadowed by on-field confrontations, crowd misconduct and disputes surrounding officiating decisions.

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Calvin Bassey’s father, Kingsley Ughelumba, has once again appealed for help to reunite with his four children, including the Super Eagles defender, saying he has been separated from them for more than 18 years, PUNCH Sports Extra, a leading Nigerian publication, has reported.

Ughelumba reopened the long-running appeal in an emotional account, attributing the prolonged estrangement to a breakdown in his relationship with the children’s mother, Ebere Bassey. He had first spoken publicly about the issue two years ago and has now returned with another plea, saying he has been “dying in silence” while still hoping for reconciliation.

The Ihiala Local Government Area indigene in Anambra State said his first three sons, Elvis, Mathew and Calvin, were born in Italy, while his youngest son, Michael, was born in Ireland. According to him, the family later lived briefly in London before marital issues led to their separation.

“We had husband-and-wife arguments. I went to work, and before I returned, she had left with the children,” Ughelumba said in a viral social media interview.

He added that contact was only re-established in 2017 when the children needed Nigerian passports. “She reached out then, I sent all my documents and bought all their flight tickets. When they stayed with me, I never told them their mum did anything to me. She has muted me since he signed for a football club,” he claimed.

Bassey, who came through Leicester City’s youth system, rose to prominence after joining Rangers on a free transfer in July 2020. He made 65 appearances for the Scottish side over two seasons, winning the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup.

In July 2022, he moved to Ajax for €23m, then the highest transfer fee in Rangers’ history, before signing for Fulham a year later in a €22m deal. The 26-year-old made his Nigeria debut in March 2022 during the World Cup play-off against Ghana and has since earned 43 caps, featuring prominently at the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

Earlier in his career, Bassey was listed under his father’s surname, Ughelumba, but later adopted his mother’s surname and has frequently credited her for her support.

“He’s just not in my life—we lived with him, but that was when I was really young,” Bassey once said. “Since I was six, it has been mum and us boys. I wanted my mum’s name on the back of my shirt as my way of saying thank you.”

Ughelumba also recounted several unsuccessful attempts to reconnect with his children since 2020. He said he travelled from London to Leicester during the COVID-19 period to see Calvin, then at Leicester City, but was unable to gain access.

“When I got to Leicester City, the club welcomed me and called Calvin. There was a name I used to call him when he was small—‘Biggy’. When they called him that, he responded immediately,” he said.

According to him, the meeting eventually ended abruptly after Calvin contacted his mother. “He got upset, told me to say whatever I wanted to say and leave. He said he didn’t want to see me again and drove off.”

Ughelumba further revealed that he travelled from Italy to Abidjan during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in another attempt to see his son.

“During Nigeria vs Angola, a journalist helped link me with the football federation. They gave me tickets, and I watched the match. After that, I went to Abuja to try again, but I still didn’t see him,” he said.

“Since then, I have been dying in silence. I don’t have any problems with my children—it’s just their mum that made me feel bad. Even if I am a devil, I can’t be a devil where my children are.”

As of the time of filing this report, the Fulham defender had yet to respond to his father’s claims.

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