Muhsin Ertugral questions CAF’s credibility after AFCON 2025 verdict

Former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates coach Muhsin Ertugral has delivered a detailed and passionate critique of CAF’s handling of the AFCON 2025 final outcome, after Morocco were confirmed as champions by the independent Appeal Committee.

On X, Ertugral expressed his frustration with the ruling, questioning the credibility of football governance and warning that overturning results after a match has concluded could undermine trust in the sport.

He wrote: “What just happened it’s about the credibility of football. This is not a disgrace. I think is worse. We have accepted referee decisions can be reviewed and corrected, through VAR, disciplinary panels, or federation rulings. You also accept a difficult truth, the game does not always end with the final whistle. It is a reality of modern football, and it is very uncomfortable. You cannot play 120 minutes, finish a final, and then suddenly question the result? Either you trust the process on the field, or we all admit the system is broken. There is no middle ground for me.  Correcting mistakes is part of modern football. But rewriting an important outcome after the game is over; it opens a dangerous door for me. The issue is not the team. The issue is the system behind the decision. Today Senegal. Tomorrow? I don’t think it’s justice. The responsibility is not with the players. It sits with CAF.  At the end, football is not destroyed by mistakes. It is destroyed by inconsistency in how those mistakes are handled. That’s my opinion.”

Ertugral’s statement reflects growing unease among football figures and fans about the precedent set by CAF’s ruling. His words highlight the tension between correcting errors in modern football and preserving the credibility of results once the final whistle has blown.

By stressing that the responsibility lies with CAF rather than the players, Ertugral has placed the spotlight firmly on football governance. His remarks suggest that while mistakes are inevitable in the game, the true danger lies in inconsistent systems of correction — a warning that resonates across African football at a time when trust in institutions is being tested.