Former Ballon d’Or winner and three-time African Player of the Year, George Weah, has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for stripping Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title they won in Rabat last January.

Weah, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1995 and was named Africa’s best player in 1989, 1994, and 1995, is also a former President of Liberia.

Reacting to CAF’s Appeals Board decision to overturn Senegal’s victory and award the trophy to finalists Morocco on technical grounds, Weah argued that the referee remains the ultimate authority during a match.

“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.

“Under the applicable rules of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), match officials have full authority during the game,” began the former World Footballer of the Year.

He warned against allowing post-match decisions to override outcomes determined on the pitch.

“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 like penalties, offside and red cards.”

Weah further stated that the Appeals Board’s ruling has damaged the image of African football, undermining trust in its fairness, consistency, and integrity.

“ I call on the Court of Arbitration for Sports(CAS) and other relevant authorities to move decisively so that this travesty does not stand,” emphasised the former AC Milan forward.

He also dismissed circulating social media claims suggesting he supported CAF’s initial disciplinary decision against Senegal.

“Weah clarified that social media posts widely circulating claiming that he ‘supported the decision by CAF Disciplinary Committee against Senegal is blatantly false. All those circulating my image and attaching same to such fallacious statements are advised to refrain,” he said, cautioning those spreading the claims online. (The Nation)