The biennial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) began on January 9, 2022, when the host team, Cameroon, faced off against Burkina Faso. At the first AFCON in 1957, only three countries participated, but in 2022, 24 teams are competing for the final on February 6.
Originally set to occur in 2021, but postponed because of the pandemic, the tournament is bound to be entertaining. Yet, during the lead up to the AFCON, comments by European media, clubs, and fans have already treated the tournament with disrespect.
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf asked Ivory Coast and Ajax striker Sébastian Haller whether he would remain with his club in January or join his national team for the AFCON. Haller claimed that the question “shows disrespect for Africa.”
“Would this ever have been presented to a European player towards a European championship?” Haller asked. “Of course, I will go to the Africa Cup to represent Ivory Coast. That is the highest honour.”
The former England and Arsenal player Ian Wright supported Haller’s sentiments.
“Is there ever a tournament more disrespected than the Africa Cup of Nations?” Wright asked. “There is no greater honour than representing your country. The coverage is completely tinged with racism. You are getting journalists asking players… if they will be honouring the call-ups to their national teams. Imagine if that was an English player representing the Three Lions. Can you imagine the furore?”
Both Haller and Wright are correct. English fans would be frustrated if an English player publicly refused to represent the national team at the European Championship — wouldn’t Ivorians feel the same way if Haller had done this?
Fans have also been disrespectful, as they have viewed the AFCON as an inconvenience because it is scheduled in the middle of the European league season. When rumours of the tournament’s cancellation spread in December, fans celebrated on Twitter. What’s ironic is that the players who participate in the AFCON are adored by fans when they play for their European clubs, but the adoration seems to disappear when they’re playing for their national teams.
At the league level, players for individual clubs — some of whom earn high wages — disappear for a month. Nigeria accused Watford of “baring fangs” when their star player Emmanuel Dennis was forced to miss the tournament since Nigeria failed to meet the deadline to request Dennis’ release. The Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, said moving the tournament to January would be a catastrophe for the club, as three key players — Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Naby Keita — left for the AFCON.
Furthermore, European clubs that have expressed concerns about the Omicron variant have also been hypocritical. Commenting on this, Wright said, “We played our Euros across 10 countries in the middle of a pandemic, and there’s no issue at all. But Cameroon, a single country hosting a tournament, is a problem.”
Players do not want to choose between their country and the club they play for — something Haller admitted in the same interview. But at the crux of the matter, representing and winning a trophy for one’s country is one of the most outstanding achievements any player can achieve.
Before the AFCON in 2019, Mane claimed he would be willing to “trade-in [his] Champions League success to win the Africa Cup of Nations.”
Many players play for various clubs throughout their careers, but the one team that remains constant is always their national team. The AFCON is especially important for African players, as financial and competitive imbalances make winning the FIFA World Cup hard for African countries.
So, what can be done to appease fans and the European clubs? Initially, the solution seems obvious — the AFCON should reschedule the tournament to the summer. However, such a solution fails to consider the harsh climate in Africa.
In 2017, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) agreed to shift the tournament to July and August. The 2019 tournament in Egypt took place in June and July and worked well. However, the CAF soon realized that this timing would be problematic for the next AFCON, as it would occur during Cameroon’s tropical rain season.
The CAF then pushed the 2021 tournament to January and February of this year. The next AFCON in 2023 is scheduled for summer in the Ivory Coast, but their tropical rain season is even worse.
The tournament cannot be permanently rescheduled to the summer. So, it isn’t easy to think of a solution that appeases all the parties involved.
One suggestion the CAF could try would be holding the AFCON every four years instead of two, like the European Championships. However, European clubs should also agree to create an international break during this season to clear space for the tournament — something that’s already done for international friendlies or qualifiers throughout the season.
Even if you have no personal interest in who wins, don’t dismiss the AFCON as a nuisance. Soccer has a long history in Africa and is, without a doubt, Africa’s most popular sport. The tournament may be inconvenient for some, but it is a very intense competition for the participating players and for the millions of fans hoping to see their country lift the Cup of Nations.
