Connoisseurs of African football have become increasingly worried about how the AFCON has been handled in recent years. The competition has not been honoured at either the country given the right to host or the stipulated date since 2015 due to either civil war, weather, ebola or lack of preparations.
The European clubs have always spoken against the timing of the tournament, during the middle of the European season, when they lose their stars to the competition.
CAF finally succumbed to the pressure from the Top 5 European leagues and announced the change from a two-year cycle to a four-year.
The decision has not gone well with African football lovers as many have criticised CAF’s inability to protect the competitions two year format.
The latest head coach to criticise CAF is Egypt’s head coach Hassan.
“I am completely against the four-year cycle, which is clearly designed to accommodate European clubs and professional players,” Hassan said.
“Can CAF change the format of the European Championship? Of course not,” he continued.
“I am not satisfied with this decision at all. As an African and Egyptian former player, I believe these tournaments are being tailored to suit European clubs. There must be a strong stance from African national teams against CAF,” he concluded.
Hossam Hassan (59) is a big name in Egyptian football after thrice winning the AFCON with the Pharaohs (1986, 1998, 2006), scoring a brace when Egypt won 2-0 against host nation Burkina Faso in the semi-finals of the 1998 AFCON. He understands what the competition stands for after enjoying much success as a player.
