At the culmination of the 35th Africa cup of Nations in Morocco, only 11 host nations have managed to win the title in the competition’s 69- year- reign since 1957 with only Egypt’ s 2006 home title triumph taking exactly 17 years before Ivory Coast won in 2003 and with latest hosts, Morocco failing to win, only time will tell how long another host takes the title.
Records reveal that since 2009 till date, Morocco has invested over 65 million dollars into long-term football development strategy, primarily focused on the Mohammed VI Football Academy and comprehensive national infrastructure.
An investment that has seen them dominate appreciably across key competitive football engagements including becoming the only African team to reach the senior FIFA world cup semifinals in 2022, claiming the FIFA under 20 world cup title,and even claiming the Championship of African Nations ( CHAN) titles in 2018,2020 and 2024 amongst other key team and individual titles and awards respectively.
The quality of football related infrastructure across the country remains a global beauty to behold.
Since taking office as President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in March 2021, Patrice Motsepe has spearheaded a financial turnaround, leading the organization from a $140 million debt to a reported $9.48 million net profit for the 2023–2024 financial year, as announced in October 2025.
Under his leadership, annual revenue has increased to approximately $150 million, driven by strategic commercial partnerships, enhanced sponsorship deals, and improved TV rights, with sponsorship partners rising from 7 to 17 for the 2023 AFCON.
In terms of title win packages, The ultimate winner of the 2025 Afcon takes home 10 million dollars, just 6 million dollars short of the title winner in the Copa America.
All these and many other innovations including amazing infrastructural developments across Africa and especially in Morocco has only brought glamour to African football.
Despite all these great outcomes, it is the consistent questions surrounding the quality of refereeing decisions that has threatened to drag CAF ‘ s image to the mud with the shameful incidence of the grand finale between Morocco and Senegal only emerging as a boiling point for questionable decisions right from the quarterfinal stages of the competition.
Senegal might have won the title but not without fate deciding their destiny in a game many felt carried shades of sentiments and premeditated outcomes.
If Patrice Motsepe and CAF must thrive even higher, then an urgent area of surgical need is a review of refereeing decisions that clearly threatened to mar the quality of one of Africa’s most glamorous competitive football platforms.
*Written By Yaksat Maklek
( PRTVC, Jos Plateau State)
19-01-2026*
