Africans surely love their football and every two years the continent is served with an opportunity to see their stars honour national duties when they play in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The sport has grown and the quality has improved over the years and each time the competition is played, the entire world stops to see some of the best players representing their nations.

However, not everything stops entirely for Africa to enjoy their game. Europe and especially England get on with their domestic leagues.

England would face the prospect of losing some of their African players for next year’s AFCON to be hosted by Ghana.
The thorny club-versus-country row would be re-ignited as clubs seek to keep their players to serve their interests to the detriment of African countries and the game on the continent.

Clubs would seek to ‘stop’ players joining up with their national teams for training camps before the tournament, which starts on January 20 and ends on February 10. But they will be shocked to see that coaches of European descent now working in Africa are not prepared to play ball.

These expatriate coaches know that success at the AFCON would guarantee them their jobs and they need all their best players to help compete for the trophy.

Ghana coach, Claude Le Roy appears not ready to exchange any tirades but rather wants the rules over the release of players applied.

“There’s no discretion. There’s a law and we respect the law and the clubs have to respect the law,” the Frenchman stated clearly in an interview with the Ghana Football Association’s website, www.ghanafa.org.

And the Black Stars coach has the backing of his bosses, FA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi and his Vice, Fred Pappoe.

Kwesi Nyantakyi says the discretion over allowing players to stay on with their teams lie with the Ghana Football Association but in this case, no such concessions would be made.

And what might be the rule anyway? Certainly, it’s FIFA’s mandatory 14-day release of players for major tournaments.

Just like Claude Le Roy, Nigerian coach, Berti Vogts has insisted that all members of his squad have to attend a 14-day training camp in January before the start of Ghana 2008.

“That is the way that things have to be and there will be no exceptions,” Vogts said. “There will be a two-week training camp and all the players will be there. They will not be allowed to arrive later.”

For sure, coaches and the Football Associations are not ready to back down on this arrangement in the coming weeks.

But Europe seems unenthused. Portsmouth is one of the clubs in the English game with lots of African stars within their ranks – signed on not due to any service to Africa but for their quality that has improved the team’s standing, - who are not prepared to heed FIFA’s rule.

"We will be protesting strongly," says Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie.

"It is just ridiculous, we all know who the countries in the quarter-finals will be," Storrie told the Portsmouth Evening News.

"What do they need a 14-day warm-up for?
"We do not have to release them (early). There are Fifa rules which legislate for this, it is totally crazy."

Also there’s been much talk about CAF rescheduling the competition to June so that players wouldn’t feel the pressure of shuttling between club and international duties. A view shared by present Chelsea boss, Avram Grant.

Avram Grant, the Chelsea first-team coach, has questioned why the AFCON is not played in the European summer like other leading international tournaments.

“We’ll be missing four players and I don’t understand why the tournament is played in the middle of the European leagues and not in the summer,” Grant said.

Yes. Europe and his (Grant) selfish interests first while Africa loses its gems. Who in Europe cares if the AFCON is not played? Maybe, no one for now. But FIFA would certainly do because of the 2010 World Cup. The World Cup would be affected because it would be without African nations who would use the biannual soccer showpiece as its qualifiers to the World Cup.

Most European coaches conveniently forget the fact that Africa’s Nations Cup is older than and is steeped in greater tradition than the European championships. The African Cup of Nations dates back to 1957.

Black Stars coach, Claude Le Roy comes in again and says Africa needs not be a substitute to Europe.

“I think Africa has to stay Africa,” the Ghana coach says.

“Africa is not a substitute continent of Europe, Africa is a youth continent and we have to choose what is good for Africa, not what is good for Europe. It’s very clear,” he summed up his feelings on the issue.

However, in all this the most affected people remain the players, who are caught up in choosing club over country or vice-versa.

Ghana and Chelsea’s Michael Essien thinks a common ground needs to be found to make their work easier. Such is a position Europe would have to find.

“I don’t know but as I said if they (CAF) can help to solve this problem it will be good for us. January and February is where the league is open. You have to leave and come and help your country, it’s good to play for your country but if they can help to change that it will be good for us,” the midfielder told www.ghanafa.org.

Europe has to understand and allow Africa’s interests to remain intact but Claude Le Roy’s statement seems an emphatic one: “Africa is not a substitute continent of Europe.”


NB: Write up by Nana Obiri Yeboah with additional files from Michael Boateng.