AFCON 2025: The contested dismissal of Yassin Robleh before the appeal jury sat

The standoff between federations, which concerns the allocation of the AFCON 2025 to Morocco by forfeiture, is no longer just played out on the field of sports law, but also on that of internal governance. In front of the international press, FSF President Abdoulaye Fall opened hostilities with an unequivocal statement:

' Faced with what amounts to the crudest administrative robbery in history, the Senegalese Football Federation does not intend to let itself be pushed around (...) It is about defending our robbed players from their victory on the field, the interest of African football and our prisoners, victims of unjustifiable diplomatic blackmail''.

The pool of lawyers, composed of experts from Senegal, France, Spain and Switzerland, has pointed out the inconsistencies of an appeal decision that overturned the first favorable verdict in Senegal. Maitre Seydou Diagne was particularly virulent:

«The decision of the Jury of Appeal cannot even be considered as a true decision because it is so absurd and irrational. It is an unacceptable infringement of rights''.

The dismissal of Yassin Robleh: a timing that begs many questions
At the heart of this legal battle, an internal document dated March 4, 2026, of which Sport News Africa has had a copy and can testify to its authenticity, reveals a major crisis within the CAF administration. Yassin Robleh, then Head of the Department of Judicial Bodies, disputes his dismissal on February 27, 2026.


A forced departure occurred at a pivotal moment: just after the verdict of the Disciplinary Committee and immediately before the appointment of the Appeal Panel that would reverse the decision in favor of Morocco. In his letter, Mr. Robleh denounces a brutal procedure, with a blocking of his access from February 28, without any three-month notice yet required by article 126 of the regulations. Even more troubling, he claims that 

"no procedure for the transfer of files in progress and responsibilities attached to my duties as Head of the Department of Jurisdictional Bodies has been organized."

Suspicions of administrative 'steering'
The eviction of the head of the jurisdictional bodies could explain the chaotic course of the appeal hearing described by Mr. Seydou Diagne:

'9 days later, the president of the jurisdiction has not yet adjourned the meeting. We are summoned at 7am on Zoom. 6 to 7 minutes of preliminary argument while introducing the members of the defense, the president asks us 2 questions. She does the same with the Moroccan side. Then we are told that they will put us in the waiting room. The hearing has not resumed. It was the Moroccans, back home, who told us that the hearing was over. It was outrageous. We called in Cairo, they told us that the hearing was over.
Maitre Diagne also criticized the failure to comply with fundamental rules:

«To violate in such a brazen way the Laws 5 and 6 of the game, if the world of football lets it happen, the winner of the next World Cup will be able to do it in the offices of FIFA.»

The legitimacy of the Secretary General challenged
Yassin Robleh’s protest brings an additional argument to those who criticize the management of Veron Mosengo-Omba. Robleh claims that the Secretary General, who signed his dismissal, no longer had the legal capacity. According to the complainant, Mr. Mosengo-Omba reached the age of 66 on 15 October 2025, exceeding the retirement age limit (63 years plus 3 years extension) set by Article 130 of the regulations. His contract would therefore have legally ended at the end of October 2025. The decision is 'ultra vires', that is to say beyond its powers and therefore void.

Moreover, the "restructuring" reason for his dismissal is described as "fictitious" by Robleh, because no plan has been approved by the Executive Committee, the only competent body according to the statutes. Following this dismissal, Cédrick Aghey was appointed director of legal and compliance affairs of the CAF by the secretary general - whose office he previously managed - even though the latter is no longer entitled to practice, having exceeded the age limit. An appointment that has not been validated by the Executive Committee. 

Yet it was he, who was attached to the general secretariat of the CAF, who was responsible for composing the Jury of Appeal, thus violating the principle of independence of the body. A general secretariat from where, according to information from Sport News Africa, Veron Mosengo-Omba will leave office this March 29 during the CAF Executive Committee.

Also read: Véron Mosengo-Omba leaves CAF

The case is now in the hands of the judges of Lausanne, while the image of the governance of CAF has been deeply damaged by these successive revelations.