The Confederation of African Football (CAF is set to review its disciplinary code following the incidents that attended the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the backlash that attended the decisions of the disciplinary committee.  

CAF president Dr Patrice Motsepe, in a statement released this weekend, has restated the continental body’s firm commitment to safeguarding the integrity, reputation and global competitiveness of African football, following the controversial incidents that marred the Final of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.

Motsepe described the scenes at the AFCON final as “unacceptable,” admitting he was “extremely disappointed” by events that detracted from Africa’s flagship football competition. While acknowledging the rulings announced on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, by the CAF Disciplinary Board, the CAF president stressed that he respects the independence of CAF’s judicial structures and will fully comply with their decisions.

“I am absolutely determined, and the CAF Executive Committee (EXCO), as well as the Presidents of our 54 Member Associations, are also determined, to maintain and advance the integrity, reputation and global competitiveness of African football and CAF competitions,” Motsepe said.

In response to the fallout from the AFCON final, Motsepe confirmed that he has convened a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee, which is the highest decision-making body in CAF outside the Annual Ordinary General Assembly.

The meeting is to conduct a comprehensive review of CAF regulations, including the CAF Disciplinary Code. The aim, he explained, is to ensure that CAF’s judicial bodies are adequately empowered to impose “appropriate and dissuasive sanctions” for serious breaches of CAF statutes, regulations and conduct that damages the image of African football.

Beyond disciplinary reforms, Motsepe highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen officiating standards across the continent. He noted that CAF has made “significant improvements” in recent years in the quality, independence and professionalism of African referees, VAR operators and match commissioners, adding that further investments, both financial and technical, will be made to elevate them to the highest global standards.

“One of the first changes I introduced as CAF President was to ensure that the CAF Referees Committee is independent and impartial, with members proposed by our 54 Member Associations and drawn from the most qualified and respected referees in Africa,” he said.

Motsepe emphasised that African match officials must not only be competent but also be widely perceived as fair, impartial and world-class.

Expressing optimism about the future, the CAF president concluded that with the new reforms and enhanced measures, African football will continue to grow in stature and credibility on the global stage.

“I am confident that African football and CAF competitions will continue to be respected, admired and counted among the best in the world,” he said.

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Seven naturalised players in Malaysia’s national football team have obtained a reprieve from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, halting their 12-month suspension from all football-related activities, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said on Tuesday.

FIFA suspended the seven naturalised players for 12 months and fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs ($439,257) in September last year after finding that doctored documentation had been used to allow the players to participate in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam.

FAM then took the case to CAS after FIFA dismissed its appeal. FIFA said it would launch a formal probe into the association’s internal operations and would notify authorities in five countries of potential criminal proceedings.

The players who were granted the reprieve were Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Héctor Hevel.

“This decision means that the 12-month suspension from all football activities imposed by FIFA on the seven players is temporarily suspended, and they are allowed to continue their careers and participate in any football-related activities until a final decision on the appeal at CAS is made,” FAM said on its Facebook account.

Following the document forgery scandal, FIFA overturned the results of three matches involving Malaysia after ruling that they had fielded these ineligible players.

The scandal drew criticism in Malaysia, with fans and several lawmakers calling for action to be taken against FAM as well as the government agencies responsible for granting citizenship to the players.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had vowed transparency in domestic investigations into the alleged forgery, but stressed that FAM should be allowed to defend itself.

-Reuters

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In the hushed corridors and high-ceilinged meeting rooms of Doha, where global football policy is debated long before it is felt on the pitch, Amaju Melvin Pinnick took his place among the game’s most influential decision-makers on Tuesday.

The former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and current Deputy Chairperson of the FIFA Men’s National Team Competitions Committee featured prominently at the FIFA Plenary Session and Committee Meetings held in the Qatari capital — a gathering that brought together senior football administrators from across continents to shape the future of international football.

It was a moment of high-level deliberations, where discussions ranged from the structure and calendar of men’s national team competitions to broader strategic policies affecting FIFA tournaments worldwide.

At the centre of those conversations sat Pinnick, one of Africa’s most visible football administrators of the past decade, continuing Nigeria’s representation at the sport’s most powerful table.

The Doha meetings underlined the growing importance of collaborative governance in an increasingly congested global football calendar. With national teams, clubs and confederations navigating competing interests, FIFA’s Men’s National Team Competitions Committee plays a pivotal role in aligning policy with practicality — from qualification pathways to tournament formats and scheduling frameworks.

Pinnick’s presence at the session was not merely ceremonial. As a committee leader, he participated in deliberations that will influence how national teams prepare, qualify and compete in FIFA tournaments in the coming years. His involvement reflects a continuity of influence built during his tenure at the NFF, when Nigeria regained visibility and credibility within global football governance structures.

For Nigeria, the optics and substance of Pinnick’s role in Doha matter. In an era when representation often translates into influence, having a Nigerian administrator actively engaged in FIFA’s decision-making processes reinforces the country’s standing beyond results on the field. It also highlights Africa’s broader contribution to shaping global football policy, rather than merely responding to decisions taken elsewhere.

The Doha meetings also served as a reminder of FIFA’s increasingly global outlook, with Qatar — fresh from hosting the 2022 World Cup — continuing to position itself as a hub for international football diplomacy. Against that backdrop, Pinnick’s participation symbolised the intersection of experience, continuity and continental representation.

As the sessions concluded, the outcomes may not yet be visible to fans, but their impact will eventually be felt in future tournaments, qualification systems and competition structures. For now, Nigeria’s seat at the table — occupied by one of its most prominent football administrators — remains firmly secured.

In Doha, amid policy papers and strategic frameworks, Amaju Pinnick’s presence spoke quietly but clearly: Nigeria is still part of the conversation shaping world football’s next chapter.

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