African football stirs up over FIFA as AFCON kicks off

(NLDO) - The Angolan national team coach strongly criticized FIFA's sudden decision, as this move put many African teams at a disadvantage at AFCON.

Recently, Angola coach Patrice Beaumelle spoke to RMC Sport, criticizing FIFA for its decision to loosen the rules for calling up players for AFCON, giving an advantage to European clubs. Meanwhile, the African tournament - which attracted more than 1.5 billion viewers in 2023 - was overlooked.

RMC Sport quoted Mr. Beaumelle: “FIFA only needs Africa in the elections, but does not respect AFCON. This is a big tournament of the continent, but it is not recognized as it deserves.”

Under new FIFA regulations, European clubs can now keep players until December 15, just six days before AFCON 2025 kicks off (December 21). This has angered many African teams, as the original regulations allowed players to be released from December 7 or 8, ensuring two weeks of preparation and friendly matches.

With the sudden change from FIFA, coach Beaumelle said the Angola team's plans were completely disrupted.

“We had scheduled the friendlies for December 13 and 16. If we had been informed a few months earlier, things would have been different. Now we only have one week left, while the club can still keep the players until December 14. This is not only disrespectful, but also causes serious disruption” - Angola coach was upset.

At AFCON, Angola was in Group B with Egypt, South Africa and Mozambique, which is considered a group of death. The limited time to prepare makes it even more difficult for the coach.

In addition to Angola, the Football Federations of Senegal, Egypt and Cameroon have also strongly protested, calling FIFA's move a clear bias towards European tournaments, which have large economic benefits.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/bong-da-chau-phi-day-song-vi-fifa-khi-afcon-khoi-tranh-19624092515402566.htm