Former Ghana FA President Nyantakyi condemns CAF over 2025 AFCON decision

kwesi nyantakyi

By Emmanuel Akyereko

Former President of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi, has slammed the Confederation of African Football, CAF, for their decision to strip Senegal off the 2025 AFCON title.

The former CAF Vice President believes that the governing body has erred in their latest decision has drawn widespread criticisms.

Africa’s football governing body generated global controversy on Thursday when it’s Appeals jury declared Morocco as winners of the last edition of the AFCON tournament despite losing to Senegal on penalty shootout on January 18, 2026.

Senegal walked off the field following a string of controversial decisions by the center referee Jean-Jacques Ndala however the Teranga Lions returned to complete the match and later won.

CAF awarded a 3–0 victory to the Moroccan Football Federation, which is the shoreline attributed to the winning side when the opposing team forfeits the match.

Reacting to the decision, Nyantakyi questioned its legal foundation, arguing that CAF misapplied Articles 82 and 83 of its Disciplinary Code. According to him, those provisions are general in nature and should only apply where no specific regulations exist. He insisted that more relevant rules, particularly Articles 88 to 106, were overlooked despite clearly outlining offences and sanctions.

Nyantakyi further stated that incidents such as player protests or temporary walkouts do not constitute serious misconduct unless they result in the abandonment of a match. He noted that although there was a brief walkout during the final following a late penalty decision, players returned and the game was completed, making a forfeiture ruling inappropriate.

He also cited Laws of the Game Law 5, stressing that the referee has final authority over factual decisions.

Nyantakyi warned that altering completed results could damage CAF’s credibility and erode trust among fans, sponsors and stakeholders.