Former World Player of the Year George Weah has strongly condemned the Confederation of African Football’s decision to withdraw the AFCON 2025 championship from Senegal and award it to Morocco, describing the move as a dangerous precedent that undermines the integrity of football on the continent.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Liberian football legend and former president argued that CAF’s disciplinary committee overstepped its authority by nullifying a match that had already been completed in accordance with the Laws of the Game.
Weah cited Law 5 of the FIFA Laws of the Game, which grants referees full authority over decisions during a match and states that their rulings on facts connected with play are final.
“In the present case of the final AFCON match between Senegal and Morocco, the referee allowed the match to continue after the walk-off by Senegal, and the game was completed, including extra time, with a result obtained on the field of play,” Weah stated.
He noted that the referee’s post-match report acknowledged a stoppage during the game but did not declare a forfeiture, instead recommending appropriate sanctions for infractions committed during the match.
“For this reason, the subsequent decision by CAF committee, taken after the match had already been concluded, should not override the authority exercised by the referee during the game in keeping with the Laws of the Game,” he argued.
The ex Liberian President warned that the ruling opens a dangerous path for football governance.
“Football must be decided on the pitch, not re-decided after the final whistle. There is therefore no sporting justification to nullify a match that was completed in accordance with the referee’s authority and the Laws of the Game, otherwise the beautiful game will head down a slippery slope where committee room officials and not match officials will be making post-match rulings to override referees’ on-field decisions like penalties, offside, and red cards.”
The former AC Milan striker raised a pointed question: “Where will it end?”
Weah described the decision as one that has “further scarred and blemished African football, undermining confidence in the fairness, consistency, and integrity of football on the continent.”
He called on the Court of Arbitration for Sport and other relevant authorities to intervene decisively so that “this travesty does not stand.”
In a separate clarification, Weah also addressed social media posts circulating with his image, which falsely claimed that he supported CAF’s disciplinary committee ruling against Senegal.
“All those circulating my image and attaching same to such fallacious statements are advised to refrain,” he warned.
Weah, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1995 and was named African Footballer of the Year in 1989, 1994, and 1995, remains one of the continent’s most respected football voices.
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