The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the implementation of significant reforms to its statutes and regulations. These changes aim to strengthen trust in refereeing, VAR operators, and CAF's judicial bodies.
These reforms come after incidents that occurred during the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025. CAF wants to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. The governing body of African football has sought legal advice from leading African and international football lawyers and experts to ensure that its statutes and regulations comply with global best practices.
The President of CAF, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, stressed the importance of these reforms for governance and football development on the continent. He stated that CAF is implementing substantial changes and improvements to strengthen confidence in referees, VAR operators, match commissioners, and CAF's disciplinary and appeals boards.
CAF is committed to maintaining the independence and impartiality of its judicial bodies. The CAF Disciplinary Board and Appeal Board will continue to be composed of highly respected African judges and legal experts, selected upon the recommendation of CAF's 54 member associations and zonal unions, and appointed by the CAF Executive Committee and General Assembly.
CAF is collaborating with FIFA for the continuous training of African referees, VAR operators, and match commissioners, so that they reach the best global standards. CAF also plans to professionalize African referees and VAR operators and compensate them appropriately.
These reforms demonstrate CAF's commitment to strengthening the credibility and integrity of African football. CAF will consistently review and improve its football and governance practices to enhance trust and the global competitiveness of African football. CAF is also focused on the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, and other CAF competitions, as well as collaboration and support for each of the African nations that will participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026 in America.
