Algerian Commentator Alleges FIFA Corruption in Morocco’s AFCON 2025 Bid Win

"I am satisfied with the withdrawal of the candidacies for the CAN 2025/2027, even if it came a little late. Everyone knew that Morocco was going to have the CAN 2025, for reasons and considerations that we all know. The cake was shared by Gianni Infantino during the Marrakech congress," said Hafid Derradji, a guest in an "space" on X (formerly Twitter) to discuss the state of Algerian football. He therefore insinuates that the FIFA president and the CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, would have shared bribes in Marrakech.

Even before the official announcement of the attribution of the organization of the CAN 2025 to Morocco, the Algerian sports commentator for beIN Sports had anticipated the African Football Confederation (CAF) by stating that the governing body of African football had already decided in favor of Morocco. "Before the presentation of the files, their study and the vote of February 10 next, it seems that the "group" has decided to award the CAN 2025 to Morocco, that of 2027 to Nigeria and the CAN 2029 to Algeria," he had written on his Facebook page in December 2022.

Hafid Derradji had also accused CAF of corruption in its decision-making. "The wise man must understand how things are managed and what we must do, especially since football is no longer just a game, as many believe, and that the choice at this level has nothing to do with the file," he had continued.

In late September, Morocco was awarded the organization of the competition after the last-minute withdrawal of its competitors’ files. According to a photograph of the summary of the African Football Confederation (CAF) evaluation report relayed by journalist Antar Abdelwarit on his X account, Morocco obtained the best score compared to its competitors. "The Moroccan candidacy stands out from the other candidatures with a technical score of 85/100," can be read in the official CAF document. The kingdom thus comes out on top ahead of Algeria (72/100), Zambia (49/100) and the duo of Benin and Nigeria (46/100).