Former Ballon d’Or winner and three-time African Player of the Year, George Weah, has faulted the Confederation of African Football for taking away Senegal’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, which they won in Rabat in January.
Weah, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1995 and was crowned Africa’s best player in 1989, 1994 and 1995, also served as Liberia’s former President.
Reacting to the decision of CAF’s Appeals Board to reverse Senegal’s triumph and hand the trophy to Morocco on technical grounds, Weah maintained that the referee remains the highest authority during any football match.
“In football, the Laws of the Game are clear: the referee on the pitch is the final authority on decisions made during the match. Once play is allowed to continue and the match is completed, the result obtained on the field must stand.
“Under the applicable rules of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), match officials have full authority during the game,” began the former World Footballer of the Year.
He warned that allowing decisions taken after a game to overturn results settled on the field could set a dangerous precedent.
“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.”
Weah also said the Appeals Board’s ruling had harmed the reputation of African football by weakening confidence in its fairness, consistency and integrity.
“ I call on the Court of Arbitration for Sports(CAS) and other relevant authorities to move decisively so that this travesty does not stand,” emphasised the former AC Milan forward.
He also rejected social media reports claiming that he backed CAF’s earlier disciplinary decision against Senegal.
“Weah clarified that social media posts widely circulating claiming that he ‘supported the decision by CAF Disciplinary Committee against Senegal is blatantly false. All those circulating my image and attaching same to such fallacious statements are advised to refrain,” he said, cautioning those spreading the claims online.