Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), arrived in Dakar on Wednesday night, greeted by Abdoulaye Fall, president of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF).

According to an official CAF statement, Motsepe will first visit Gorée Island before meeting Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. He will then hold a press conference at 5:30 PM to address several sensitive topics affecting African football, including the controversial decision to award the CAN 2025 trophy to Morocco.

a visit expected to ease tensions

Motsepe had announced in late March that he would travel to both Senegal and Morocco to emphasize the importance of “working together to develop African football,” following intense criticism of his organization after the CAF Appeals Committee’s decision to strip Senegal of its African Cup of Nations title in favor of Morocco. The Senegalese Football Federation has since appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is expected to rule on the matter in the coming months.

The visit comes at a tense time. On March 18, the Senegalese government called for an international investigation into “suspicions of corruption within the governing bodies” of the African football institution. In response, Motsepe assured that no African country was being treated preferentially, praising the “independence” of the disciplinary bodies.