AFCON
It’s 10 years since Nigeria’s record scorer, Rashidi Yekini passed on
Even though the cause of his death on this date 10 years ago has not yet been ascertained, Nigeria’s record scorer has largely been forgotten.
Rashide Yekini, then 48, was reportedly kidnapped shortly before he passed away, but the cause of his death is still unclear ten years later.
Police in Oyo State, where the striker was living when he died, told the BBC shortly after his death that no investigation was opened.
A decade on, there is pride in the achievements of the 1993 African Footballer of the Year yet sadness at his death and anger at the way he had been treated by the government and football authorities.
“What I find very sad is not just that there’s no closure about his passing, but that for all the man did for our country he deserves to always be remembered,” fellow Super Eagles star Oliseh told BBC Sport Africa.
“It’s not encouraging because one of the most interesting things about people who served their nations is that one wants to be remembered for the sacrifices you’ve made. That is why I find it very unfortunate that priority is not given to remember Yekini, who gave his all to our country.”
The prolific striker played a key role in some of his country’s greatest moments on the pitch, ending top scorer at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations as Nigeria won their second continental crown.
Yekini is still the Super Eagles’ all-time leading scorer with 37 goals and is third on the list of Nations Cup scorers, wit his tally of 13 strikes at the finals only bettered by Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o (18) and Ivory Coast’s Laurent Pokou (14).
He also scored his country’s first ever World Cup goal in 1994, against Bulgaria, famously celebrating with his clenched fists punched through the net in exultation, which became an iconic image of both the tournament and of the man.
Ikpeba, who was also in Nigeria’s 1994 Nations Cup-winning team, is still upset there was no full investigation into Yekini’s death.
“A lot of things could have been done to give closure to his family, fans and the country,” the 1997 African Footballer of the Year, 48, told BBC Sport Africa.
“It’s shocking because it’s 10 years and nobody knows how he died. So who do we blame – the police, his state government or the federal government? These are the questions I ask myself.
“I know he was a Muslim and was buried within 24 hours as practiced in his religion, but an autopsy could have been carried out to tell us what happened to him. Sadly, we failed him when he was alive and in death. That is not how a legend like Yekini should be remembered.”
His international career aside, Yekini was also prolific at club level – seeing huge success with Shooting Stars of Nigeria, Ivory Coast’s Africa Sport and Vitoria Setubal of Portugal, amongst others.
He helped Shooting Stars reach the final of the African Champions Cup (forerunner of the African Champions League) in 1984 and made his debut for Nigeria the same year.
His final international outings came at the 1998 World Cup, and he once confronted a club coach who had questioned his frequent trips to represent the West African nation.
“There was a time I learnt that my [club] coach was complaining in the press that I went too often to play for Nigeria and that it affected his plans,” Yekini once said.
“I told him nobody can stop me from playing for my fatherland. This is where my people love me – not only because I score goals, but because I am their son. Even if Nigeria has a fixture against ants and cockroaches and I am invited, I will go and play.”
Yekini lived a reclusive life after he quit football for good in 2005 following a spell back in the Nigerian league.
He aggressively shunned the media limelight and turned down several offers to be part of the country’s football in other capacities, rejecting the chance to be a Nigerian football ambassador to the 2010 World Cup – a move which was never explained.
However, Oliseh and Ikpeba, who both won Olympic football gold with Nigeria in 1996, said Yekini was given no support by Nigeria’s football establishment when he needed it most.
“He always kept to himself but came alive during training sessions and matches for his country. A wonderful human and team-mate. Somewhat withdrawn, but that was his nature,” recalled Ikpeba.
“He was not one to dwell on negative things around the team but just happy to play for the national team instead. Yekini needed help, but the entire football community failed him.
“I’m glad there was a posthumous recognition given to him by the Confederation of African Football, thanks to Anthony Baffoe, which Yekini’s daughter attended. But here in Nigeria, we have nothing to remember him by at state or federal level, I am deeply sad.”
Former captain Oliseh, 47, echoes Ikpeba’s sentiments, adding: “What have we done to honour him? Do kids growing up know anything about the man or his incredible achievements?
“He’s the best striker Nigeria ever had, and he proved it in so many ways. For that reason, I feel extremely sad there is no proper commemoration to honour him.
“As a team-mate I will always remember and cherish him for everything he did. But I believe a lot more could have been done for the man.”
Apart from a recognition award given to the class of 1994 by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in 2019, with the striker’s daughter picking up his plaque, there has been no commemoration of Yekini by the organisation.
A top official of the NFF declined to comment on the subject, while the body’s outgoing president Amaju Pinnick was not available for comment.
-BBC
The fallout from the controversial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Morocco and Senegal has taken a decisive legal turn, with sports law experts insisting that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) acted within established regulations in awarding Morocco a 3–0 default victory.
The decision followed Senegal’s temporary withdrawal from the pitch in protest against a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruling—an action CAF deemed a breach of competition rules.
Clear Rule, Predictable Outcome
According to media and sports lawyer Patrick Rode, the case represents a “textbook application” of football regulations rather than an arbitrary administrative decision.
Under CAF competition rules, specifically Articles 82 and 84, any team that refuses to continue play or leaves the field without the referee’s consent is automatically considered to have forfeited the match.
In such cases, the standard sanction is unequivocal: 3–0 default loss.
This principle aligns with broader FIFA disciplinary frameworks, where “refusal to play” triggers automatic consequences, leaving little room for interpretation.
Why CAF’s Decision Stands Firm
From a strictly legal standpoint, the ruling appears difficult to overturn for three key reasons:
- Clear Violation: Senegal’s act of leaving the pitch constitutes an undisputed breach of the rules.
- Mandatory Sanction: The 3–0 forfeiture is not discretionary but explicitly prescribed.
- No Legal Ambiguity: The regulations leave no grey areas for subjective interpretation.
As Rode succinctly puts it, “emotion does not equal law.”
Even if Senegal had been leading or had already celebrated victory, such contextual factors hold no weight once a fundamental rule breach is established.
CAS Appeal: Slim Chances, Strategic Arguments
Senegal’s Football Federation is expected to challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the highest authority in global sports dispute resolution.
However, CAS typically intervenes only under limited conditions, including:
- * Procedural irregularities
- * Arbitrary decision-making
- *Disproportionate sanctions
None of these thresholds appears immediately evident in this case.
That said, Senegal’s legal team may attempt to build arguments around:
- Match Continuity: If play resumed after the protest, does a full forfeiture remain proportionate?
- Officiating Responsibility: Could confusion involving the referee and VAR mitigate Senegal’s culpability?
These points could form the crux of the appeal, though they face an uphill legal battle.
Sport vs Law: An Inevitable Clash
The controversy highlights a recurring tension in modern football—where emotional, on-field realities collide with rigid regulatory frameworks.
While fans and players may view the outcome as harsh, legal systems in sport prioritise consistency and enforceability over sentiment.
With CAS proceedings expected in the coming months, the case is set to become a landmark reference in African football governance—testing not just CAF’s authority, but the balance between justice, discipline, and the spirit of the game.
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African football remains plagued by trust issues and questions over its integrity, Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe said on Wednesday after Senegal was stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title.
But he defended the decision of his organisation’s Appeal Board to award the Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco after upholding their protest over the outcome of the January 18 final.
Senegal, who won the match 1-0 in Rabat, walked off for 14 minutes at the end of regulation time in protest of hosts Morocco being awarded a penalty, but returned to win in extra time.
While Morocco’s initial protest had been rejected by CAF’s Disciplinary Board, the same governing body’s Appeal Board found Senegal had transgressed tournament regulations by staging a walkoff and handed Morocco the title.
“I previously expressed my extreme disappointment with the incidents that took place at the final,” Motsepe said in a video statement released on Wednesday.
“It undermines the good work that CAF has done over many, many years to ensure that there’s integrity, there’s respect, there’s ethics, there’s governance, as well as the credibility of the results of our football matches.
“We are still dealing with suspicion and mistrust. It’s a legacy issue. When I became president, one of the major concerns was the impartiality, independence and the respect of referees and match commissioners, and a lot of good work has been done,” he insisted.
RESPECT AND INTEGRITY
Motsepe highlighted that both CAF’s disciplinary and appeal boards were independent bodies composed of legal practitioners selected with the assistance of member associations.
“It is important that the decisions of our Disciplinary Board and Appeals Board are viewed with respect and integrity,” he said.
“If you look at the composition of those bodies, they reflect some of the most respected lawyers and judges on the continent.
“But we will still have to deal with this perception and concerns about the integrity. It’s an ongoing issue.”
Motsepe, who was chosen as CAF president in 2021 and re-elected one year ago, said CAF was committed to fair play and denied there was any preferential treatment amid perceptions that Morocco have too much sway over the African game.
“I’m told that Senegal is going to appeal, which is very important. Every one of the 54 nations in Africa have a right to pursue appeals and we will adhere and respect the decision that’s taken at the highest level.
“A critical factor is that not a single country in Africa will be treated in a manner that is more preferential, or more advantageous, or more favourable than any other country on the African continent,” the South African billionaire mining magnate added.
-Reuters
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Senegal’s government on Wednesday called for an international investigation into what it said was suspected corruption within the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the country was stripped of its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title.
CAF’s appeals board ruled on Tuesday that Senegal had “forfeited” the January final by briefly leaving the pitch in protest during stoppage time, converting a 1-0 extra-time win into a 3-0 default defeat in favour of hosts Morocco.
In a statement, the government condemned CAF’s ruling as “grossly illegal and profoundly unjust” and called for the opening of an international independent investigation to address what it described as suspicions of corruption inside CAF’s leadership.
CAF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Senegalese Football Federation earlier said it would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, calling the ruling unprecedented and unacceptable and vowing to file its challenge in Lausanne “as soon as possible.”
-Reuters
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