The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has disclosed that he personally intervened to resolve a minor issue involving Nigerian music star Burna Boy at an airport in Morocco.
Motsepe made the revelation while speaking at a press conference ahead of Nigeria’s third-place playoff match at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
According to him, the Grammy Award-winning singer was briefly held by customs officials due to the large quantity of jewellery he had with him while travelling for his performance at the tournament’s closing concert.
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The CAF president explained that airport authorities raised concerns during a routine inspection and requested clarification on the high-value items in Burna Boy’s possession.
Motsepe stressed that the incident was not an allegation of any wrongdoing but simply a procedural requirement for expensive items to be properly declared.
Recounting how the matter was handled, he said: “I was called that president please you have to intervene because there are challenges at the airport. I asked what happened and they said ‘Burna Boy has too many beautiful jewellery and like in every country, he just has to declare them’. And the matter was resolved.”
Meanwhile, attention has shifted back to the football action as the 2026 AFCON final is scheduled to hold on January 18 at the Complex Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah, where host nation Morocco will face Senegal.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have already secured the tournament’s bronze medal after defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the third-place match on January 17.
