George Weah slams CAF over AFCON title decision

Three-time African Footballer of the Year award winner George Weah is the latest high-profile figure to criticize the decision taken by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and award it to Morocco. Weah, the former Liberian president and professional footballer, in a statement, decried the controversial decision.

The CAF Appeal Board decided that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 (“the Match”),…

— CAF Media (@CAF_Media) March 17, 2026

Weah took to Facebook to clarify that he never supported the decision taken by Africa’s footballing body, as he put forward the Laws of the Game to support his view.

The former AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain formidable striker said the match referee has the final say in the encounter. “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.”

The 59-year-old footballer-turned-politician noted Law 5 of the Laws of the Game, adding that matches are won on the football pitch:

“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 such as penalties, offsides, and red cards.”

Weah urged the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to act decisively so that the decision cannot stand. Weah warned that such decisions undermine the integrity of African football.

Weah is the only African player to have ever won the Ballon d’Or in 1995 while playing for Italian giants AC Milan. He is regarded as one of the greatest African strikers to have come from the continent.