Senegalese forward Sadio Mane has questioned the decision to schedule African Cup of Nations (Afcon) matches early afternoon, saying it affects the quality of play.
The Teranga Lions kicked off the defence of their title on Monday against The Gambia under sweltering conditions in Yamoussoukro, the capital of the host country Côte d’Ivoire.
The match started at 14:00 local time with temperatures over 35°C (degrees Celsius). It ended in a comfortable 3-0 win for Senegal. But Mane told reporters the timing was wrong.
"It's sad to see in this century (teams) playing at 2 o'clock. I think it should not happen anymore."
He added: "The world watches African Cup of Nations now and to play at 2 o'clock is not what we should do... if we want to see quality it is not to play at 2 o'clock."
Criticise schedule
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) retained the schedule of the first matches of each day at 14:00 local time despite criticism from the last tournament two years ago.
Senegal will return to Yamoussoukro on Friday for their second group-stage match against Cameroon scheduled to kick off at the same time.
Senegal's coach Aliou Cissé has previously criticised match timings in the afternoon as not being good for players' health.
"For the competition to be a success, we need to put the players in the best possible conditions. No coach would want to play at 2pm," he told journalists in November while unveiling his squad for the tournament.
The 2023 Afcon finals started on 13 January and the final is scheduled for 11 February. A total of 24 countries are competing in the tournament.
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