'This travesty must not stand' â?? George Weah calls on CAS to overturn CAF's AFCON ruling

Former Liberian president and Ballon d'Or winner George Weah has joined the growing list of football icons condemning the Confederation of African Football's decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, urging the Court of Arbitration for Sport to step in and restore the original result.

In a strongly worded statement, Weah described the ruling as a damaging blow to the credibility of African football.

"This decision has further scarred and blemished African football, undermining confidence in the fairness, consistency, and integrity of football on the continent," he said.

At the heart of Weah's argument lies Law 5 of the FIFA Laws of the Game, which establishes the referee as the ultimate authority on decisions made during a match. He pointed out that in the January 18 final, the referee allowed play to continue after Senegal's brief walk-off, and the match was completed in its entirety, including extra time, with a result decided on the pitch.

"The referee on the pitch is the ultimate authority. Once the game continues and is completed, the result must stand," Weah argued.

He noted that the referee's post-match report described the incident as a stoppage rather than a forfeiture, recommending sanctions for infractions—not a reversal of the result.

Weah warned that allowing administrative bodies to overturn on-field decisions long after matches have concluded could open the door to endless disputes over penalties, offsides, and dismissals.

"Football must be decided on the pitch, not re-decided after the final whistle. 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."

The former AC Milan striker also took the opportunity to dismiss circulating claims that he supports CAF's decision, labelling them as false and warning those using his image to spread misinformation to stop.

Weah's intervention adds significant weight to growing calls for a review of one of the most contentious rulings in recent African football history.

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