Claim: A Facebook page, Nigeria Cycle, in a post has claimed that several West African football legends have stepped forward to lead a breakaway faction from the (Confederation of African Football (CAF) . The move according to the post is in response to CAF’s decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 AFCON title, which sparked several controversies.
A part of the claim reads “ This movement could reshape African football, with Eto’o and Weah emerging as potential leaders. Eto’o’s experience and Weah’s prestige as the only African World Player of the Year make them strong candidates for the top roles.”
A screenshot of the claim seen on Facebook.
The post identified several African past footballers pushing the breakaway faction, including Samuel Eto from Cameroon, Didier Drogba from Cote d’Ivoire, and Samuel Osei Kuffour from Ghana, amongst others. The post has since then garnered 1000 likes, 500 comments, and 128 shares as at March 25th, 2026.
Within Nigeria observed that several Facebook users had conflicting views about the claim.
Facebook user Eghwubare Ogberahwe noted that “ This is a very good move to break out of the lackadaisical attitude of CAF in Africa”.
Another user, Muhammad Nasir Shuaibu, however, had a conflicting opinion. He said, “ It is a great move but breakaway and forming a parallel organisation will not get FIFA’s approval. FIFA is to mend fences in international and regional footballs not to support regional nations disunity. The best option is to fight the injustice meted on Senegal. I am a Nigerian, I stand for Senegal I stand for justice”.
This claim is spreading weeks after CAF removed Senegal as the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 champions and awarded the title to Morocco. The African football body noted that Senegal players’ walk-off during a penalty protest in the January 18 AFCON final breached Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations. In reaction, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) rejected the decision and appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
This claim can mislead the public, fuel tensions among fans and also affect trust in football governance, hence the need for Within Nigeria to investigate it.
Verification
Within Nigeria conducted a keyword search on Google and did not see any verified information relating to the claim. Further findings by Within Nigeria revealed that this narrative is being pushed by several people in reaction to the CAF decision that stripped Senegal of its title.
In a Facebook post that has gone viral, Desmond Ekwueme urged several African football stars to emerge if there will be a breakaway faction from the Confederation of African Football (CAF). This wasn’t directly said by the football stars highlighted in the claim.
We checked several social media accounts of some African football stars that were included in the claim ( Didier Drogba X and Facebook; Emmanuel Adebayor Facebook), and found nothing regarding the claim.
Also, we checked through several media platforms, and there has been no report of African football stars making plans to form a breakout faction from CAF.
Verdict
The viral Claim That African Football Stars Plan to form a breakaway faction from CAF Is Misleading. Based on our findings, there is no evidence of African football stars hinting at breaking away from CAF.
