CAF announces a reform of its statutes and regulations

The governing body of African football aims to boost confidence in refereeing, VAR and the disciplinary bodies.

The announcement was made on Sunday 29 March 2026 following a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football, held in Cairo, Egypt. This decision comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final. In its statement, CAF emphasises its commitment to enhancing the credibility of referees and VAR officials, whilst ensuring the independence and impartiality of its disciplinary bodies, notably the Disciplinary Board and the Appeals Committee.

CAF is currently implementing far-reaching changes and improvements to the CAF Statutes and Regulations, which will strengthen trust and confidence in CAF referees, VAR officials and match commissioners, as well as within the CAF Disciplinary Board and Appeals Board. These changes and improvements to the CAF statutes and regulations will also ensure that the unacceptable incidents that occurred during the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 do not happen again.