By Charles Mgbolu
If football is life in 90 minutes, the build-up to a big tournament is the game's pulse.
As fans exult at the prospect of the unfettered joy that the upcoming edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) promises to bring, the timing of the championship – January 13 to February 11, 2024 – is fuelling an inter-continental conflict of sorts off the pitch.
African football federations have been on a collision course with European clubs ever since the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the tournament schedule, featuring 24 nations primed to battle for the trophy across six stadiums in five cities of Côte d'Ivoire.
Most English club sides stand to lose their prominent African players if AFCON is held mid-season, and almost all are reluctant to release these players ahead of the event.
Dr Patrice Mostepe, president of CAF, insists that the championship had to be shifted from summer in June-July – coinciding with the international break – to January this time because of the weather in Côte d'Ivoire.
"It isn't good for African football if we organise a tournament that can be washed out; it is not good for the continent as a whole," Mostepe told a press conference in Morocco while releasing the schedule.
Niran Adesanya, a Nigerian sports analyst and presenter, isn't surprised that the European clubs have a problem with that.
"January and February is a crucial time in the football calendar. The Western clubs are back from an international break, and it is usually the best time to consolidate and pick up points,” Adesanya tells TRT Afrika.
Raw nerve
In November 2021, Liverpool's head coach Jürgen Klopp was forced to issue a clarification after casually referring to AFCON as a "little tournament in Africa" during a Champions League post-match conference.
"I have often heard that there's no international break until March. In January, there's a little tournament in Africa," he had said.
Klopp's alleged slight on AFCON sparked angry reactions on social media, with at least one African journalist demanding an apology from the manager at another conference.
The German said his remark had been taken out of context, explaining that he was merely expressing his frustration at losing critical players like Sadio Mane (Senegal), Mohamed Salah (Egypt), and Naby Keita (Guinea) across competitions at the time.
In December 2021, a few weeks before the January 2022 edition of the championship, European Club Association president Nasser al-Khelaifi complained about clubs having to take the hit for a clash in dates.
But while CAF has bent over backwards in the past, shifting the tournament to months when the weather is unfavourable for football, the organisation has put the continent's priorities first.
Past lessons
At AFCON 2019, hosted by Egypt between June and July, such was the summer heat that Ugandan player Denis Onyango had to be stretchered off during a game. Another footballer collapsed in training due to dehydration.
The tournament quality didn't get rave reviews either, with analysts saying record heatwaves recorded globally at the time, especially across the Sahara, weakened the intensity of players during many matches.
CAF insists January remains the best period of the year on the continent to play a game as intensive as football. It has refused to budge despite complaints from European clubs.
"This is where players are torn, especially those who are still climbing the rungs in their career," says John Ofori, a Ghanaian sports analyst.
"Unfortunately, they have to pick a side. Playing at these clubs is how they earn their livelihood and where they can build a career. Players often find themselves in a difficult position of allegiance."
Nigerian television sports presenter Blessing Nwosu couldn't agree more. "This is a big issue because, just like the European teams who complain that they need their star players to do well in competitions, African teams also need their star players for a campaign as big as AFCON."
CAF reached a touch-and-go agreement with European clubs for AFCON 2022 to release players as late as January 3. Ofori says such agreements are counterproductive.
"If a tournament is barely a week away, what can coaches do in that short time? How do the teammates bond? How much time do they get to strategise? I mean, it's very unfair. The Western clubs should respect this competition more," Ofori tells TRT Afrika.
European clubs have argued that their hesitation in releasing players stems from fear of the latter picking up injuries during AFCON, in which case they would be unable to perform at their best for the rest of the season.
These clubs also point out that released players continue to get their salaries and allowances while away playing for their countries. Given the dynamics, the argument is that clubs should make more influential decisions.
Pro-club rules
FIFA rules have yet to help the cause of African footballing nations. "Clubs are obliged to release their registered players to the representative teams of the country for which the player is eligible to play based on his nationality if they are called up by the association concerned," states Annexe 1.
But it isn't compulsory for clubs to release players outside the specified international window – there's none in January – and for more than one major senior international tournament in a year.
"It's like trying to roll a rock up a hill with all the indices stacked against you. The rules should make it mandatory for European clubs to release the players and do so on time. Making it obligatory is simply asking for decisions to be made as a favour," says Ofori.
So, what can African players caught in this dilemma do?
"It's really up to the players to put their foot down," says Adesanya. "Many African players have shown the way. Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Samuel Eto'o, to mention a few. They all told their clubs, 'No, I will play at AFCON'."
Money muscle
In August 2022, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis declared that his club wouldn't sign African players unless they agreed not to play in AFCON.
Former Napoli player and Senegalese player Kalidou Koulibaly was quick to criticise De Laurentiis's threat, saying it puts in a spot young, talented Africans desperate to build a career and livelihood abroad.
"For me, the most important thing is to respect everybody. You cannot speak about the African national teams like this. You have to have respect for them, just like you have respect for the European national teams."
Cameroonian legend Eto'o also spoke strongly on the subject, insisting that the world should adjust to the scheduling of Africa's most significant international competition and that African players must stand united in defence at the AFCON.
Napoli and Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen's absence in the early World Cup 2026 qualifying games was hugely felt, with the Super Eagles' chances of participating in the tournament now at risk.
"Napoli will be wary of releasing Osimhen because they do not want him to risk another major injury that would take him out of action for weeks and make him miss crucial games after AFCON. But then, imagine an AFCON for Nigerian football fans without Osimhen," says Nwosu.
As the debate rages, fans can only hope the battle is resolved.
"All we want as a continent is to enjoy brilliant football. We have gone through a lot of physical and mental challenges. As a people, I think we deserve all the joy this tournament brings," says Ofori.
