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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Sparky-moon on 2026-03-25 19:05:43+00:00.
Original Title: [Romain Molina] 2025 AFCON Final: How CAF Interfered and Manipulated the Appeals Jury. The verdict of the Appeals Jury awarding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations to Morocco was marred by dysfunctions and irregularities within the Confederation of African Football itself.
After consulting multiple internal sources, Sport News Africa is able to confirm that CAF’s own administration interfered in the Appeals Committee’s process—which was billed as “independent”—in violation of the rules and statutes established by CAF itself.
A little over two weeks before the Appeals Panel meeting, the Secretary General of the Confederation of African Football, Véron Mosengo-Omba, dismissed the director of independent bodies within CAF’s legal affairs division, Yassin Osman Robleh. Officially, this dismissal was part of a broader restructuring of the legal sector and did not cite any specific misconduct.
Having served for more than five years, the Djiboutian was unanimously recognized for his professionalism within the organization. Members of the Executive Committee, including Augustin Senghor, demanded explanations from Patrice Motsepe, since the secretary general had officially been ineligible to hold his position since October 15 due to the age limit. This raises a legitimate question: how could he also fire a director without notifying anyone?
Why was the director in charge of the Jury fired two weeks earlier?
While the decision came as a surprise, its timing raised even more questions: why dismiss the director who coordinated the Appeals Jury just two weeks before the most significant legal proceeding the CAF has faced in recent years? What’s more, the general secretary has not appointed a replacement.
To put it simply, Robleh was in charge of the Disciplinary Committee and the Appeals Panel, ensuring the application of regulations and the proper conduct of the so-called independent committees. Although he was contractually employed by the CAF, the Djiboutian national was structurally detached from the administration to ensure independence.
Working with the chair of each committee—who requested a specific number of jurors for each case—he coordinated and then proposed the names of those who would sit on the panel to render a decision. This was a key role in preventing interference and ensuring that each jury could be as impartial as possible depending on the case.
The Influence of the Director of Legal Affairs Illegally Appointed by Véron Mosengo-Omba
In his absence, Sport News Africa has learned that Cédrick Aghey, recently appointed Director of Legal Affairs and Compliance at CAF by the Secretary General—whose office he previously managed—had intervened to select the jurors.
Contrary to CAF’s governing regulations, Aghey’s appointment was already irregular, as the Secretary General’s proposal was required to be approved in advance by the Executive Committee, which did not occur. Several members opposed this action, particularly given that the Secretary General had been statutorily barred from exercising his duties since October 15!
Regardless, Aghey took Robleh’s place and directly selected the five jurors requested by the Chair of the Appeals Jury, Roli Daibo Harriman. According to some internal sources, the nominations were not truly joint but were driven by the legal director, which raises concerns: how could the Appeals Jury—an officially independent commission whose operations were separate from the administration—now be directly influenced by that very same administration?
Conflicts of Interest Involving the President of the Tunisian Football Federation
Among the five selected panel members, aside from Aghey’s close relationship with his Togolese compatriot Espoir Asogbavi Komlan—who served as an interrogator—the decision to include Moez Ben Nasri may have violated the CAF Disciplinary Code.
While the president of the Tunisian Football Federation is not prohibited from serving on the jury—as long as he is not a member of the CAF Executive Committee or a standing committee, according to Article 19—he is required to “declare any conflict of interest” prior to the meeting, according to Article 20. However, he serves on the UNAF, the North African Football Union, just like one of the parties involved, Morocco.
Not to mention his close ties to the president of the Moroccan federation, Faouzi Lekjaa, whose support was instrumental in his own election in Tunisia, how could Cédrick Aghey have knowingly chosen Moez Ben Nasri from among the five out of nine members of the Appeals Panel, given their shared membership in the UNAF?
Importantly, the Tunisian is the only active member of football governance among the commission’s members. His inclusion is all the more incomprehensible as it would allow Senegal to argue procedural irregularities regarding form and thus obtain the annulment of the vote by the CAS without even addressing the merits of the case.
How will the Executive Committee respond?
Accustomed to running CAF without regard for its bylaws, the current administration has remained true to its principles—principles that have been criticized in numerous internal reports and in the well-known external report prepared by an Egyptian auditing firm, which has been kept under wraps.
The problem is that this disregard for the rules could prove fatal to one of the parties (Morocco) and, above all, raises existential questions: What are the real reasons behind Yassin Osman Robleh’s dismissal? Why not wait until the end of the proceedings to proceed with his departure?
Already dissatisfied, the Executive Committee—which has remained silent and submissive for years—might finally step up to its responsibilities at the next meeting scheduled for March 29 and hold Patrice Motsepe accountable, a president who has absolutely no control over the body he is supposed to lead.