RS Berkane at the center of a scandal involving corruption: a triumph aided by accusations

Renaissance Sportive de Berkane’s historic win in the CAF Confederation Cup has been overshadowed by a wave of scandals and growing corruption claims that could hurt the club’s image and the reputation of African football as a whole.

Tanzanian media outlets said that Berkane achieved their win by using illegal and unethical methods. Authorities are now closely watching the club because it has ties to Fouzi Lekjaa, who is the strong head of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and a key figure in CAF’s inner circles.

Soon after the second leg of the final, which took place in Zanzibar, video footage went viral on social media, purportedly showing RS Berkane officials entering the referees’ locker room during halfway. This started the storm. As a major breach of protocol and honor, this action has caused outrage across the continent, especially among football fans in Tanzania and of Simba SC.

The second half of the game, which was already being closely watched, didn’t do much to reduce concerns. The Tanzanian defender Yusuph Kagoma was given a straight red card in the 50th minute, with Simba SC ahead 1-0 and in complete control of the game. Interestingly, the decision was made without using VAR, which immediately raised questions about its validity.

Somewhat controversially, Simba thought they had doubled their lead right after the sending off, but the goal was called off because the players weren’t onside. Many neutral observers have called the choice “highly questionable” and “potentially decisive” after replays of the event went viral.

Simba SC officials have officially filed a complaint with CAF, asking for a full investigation into the refereeing and the claimed ethical breach involving RS Berkane staff. Although CAF hasn’t made an official statement yet, there is growing pressure on the governing group to do so quickly and openly.

Many people are worried again about favoritism and bad leadership in African sports because of this happening. RS Berkane’s close ties to Fouzi Lekjaa have only made things worse, with critics pointing to a possible misuse of power at CAF.

As the dust settles, the Confederation Cup final might not be remembered as a celebration of sports, but as a lesson in how politics, power, and corruption can affect the very nature of the game.

The prize is currently held by RS Berkane, but there are growing doubts about whether or not they really won.