Africa

African Corner: Time For Cup Of African Nations To Change

Stephen Constantine is the head coach of the Sudan national team. In his regular column for Goal.com, he will be sharing his thoughts about African and world football.

Nov 10, 2009 1:58:46 AM

Photo Gallery

Zoom

Stephen Constantine, ex India coach

Related Links

As the African Nations Cup looms with only a few places still undecided the age old problem of the timing and the frequency of the tournament yet again comes under scrutiny.

As many African players are plying their trade in Europe - something I might add that African countries benefit from in more ways then one - we need to ask: should the Confederation of African Football (CAF) come into line with the rest of the world and hold the tournament in line with the FIFA's World Calendar?

Just One Of Africa's Finest In Europe

It’s important to note that in the English Premier League alone there are 47 African players plying their trade with only three teams -teams Manchester United, Birmingham City and West Ham - not having any African players at all.

If you include Europe overall then you’re looking at well over a 100 players that could be missing for a crucial part of the European season, something that the clubs are getting very frustrated with.

Some clubs have already openly stated that they will refuse to sign African players in the future as losing them for up to four to six weeks and as paying their wages at the same time is not worth the investment. There is also the possibility of players reporting back injured.

CAF chief Issa Hayatou

Why is it then that the CAF has so far as failed to see the light and insist that the tournament is played in the middle of the European season?

The Asian Confederation has started playing in the summer months as have the South Americans. The longer this refusal to hold the games in the summer and join the rest of the football fraternity continues. the more negative side effects will be felt by the African players themselves.

I really don’t see the problem. Sure, some will say the weather in the summer can be difficult in some countries but with South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup that really puts that issue aside. Also, with Africa being such a diverse continent you are never going to get perfect weather anywhere you host the tournament.

What’s at stake for African football is not only the fact that more and more clubs are considering not taking on African players. The money that African clubs receive will be affected as will the generous nature of the African players themselves - as we know many of them send thousands of pounds back to help support families in their home countries.

Another issue is how often do we need the African Nations Cup? The CAF recently introduced the really wonderful idea of having an African competition akin to the African Nations Cup but with the exception that only players playing in their home country can play.

This is a really great idea as there are many players who otherwise would never get the chance to showcase their skills. In many countries there is not a realistic chance for them to have more games and exposure and this new competition does exactly that and will be held every two years - the next one in 2011 being hosted in the Sudan.

Given this new tournament which, like the African Cup of Nations, is also every two years, the question is do we need to have the African Nations Cup as well ?

For me it’s a win-win situation for CAF in coming into line with the other confederations as European teams will of course look to sign the fantastic African talents, lest we forget, that this is going to get harder once the 6+5 rule of home based players goes into effect.

I fear if the issue of the African Nations Cup is still there then I am certain there will be an even bigger decrease in African players playing in Europe than we have seen in the last few years.

So come on CAF for the good of the game in Africa and the world, make the change.

Stephen Consantine, Goal.com

You can read more about Stephen Constantine by visiting his website.

Can an African team win next summer's World Cup? Find out in the November issue of Goal.com Magazine.

Thank you for your comment!

Please enter your name

Please enter your location

Please share your comment!