AFCON 2025 / "I'll let the players decide": Zoumana Camara's lesson to FIFA

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·5 de diciembre de 2025

AFCON 2025 / "I'll let the players decide": Zoumana Camara's lesson to FIFA

Release date of players for AFCON 2025: Camara stands up to FIFA

AFCON 2025 / "I'll let the players decide": Zoumana Camara's lesson to FIFA

OneFootball Videos

While FIFA’s decision to delay the release of international players for AFCON 2025 until December 15 continues to spark outrage, one voice stands out in the heated debate. Breaking away from club-centric narratives, Montpellier manager Zoumana Camara delivered a refreshingly fair message, reminding everyone that respect for the players and for African competition should take precedence over all other concerns.

Camara, a fair and clear-minded stance

Asked whether Simon Ngapandouetnbu and Nathanaël Mbuku would play against Grenoble on December 13, the coach refused to make a unilateral call.

"I need to talk with them and I’ll let the players decide if they feel mentally and physically able to play in Grenoble before joining their national teams. If not, I’ll release them earlier," he said,

emphasizing a deeply human approach. He then raised a question that serves as a powerful reminder:

"If it were a European Championship, if it were a Copa America... would we have reacted the same way?"

A lesson in respect addressed to FIFA and the clubs

Well aware that Montpellier will have to cope without its two internationals for crucial matches, Camara fully embraces the situation.

"When we signed them, we knew they were internationals... Now that the time has come, we have to accept it," he pointed out,

calling on his substitutes to seize their opportunity. Without hostility, he highlights FIFA’s inconsistencies while refusing to stoke controversy:

"I’m not doing this to create controversy, I’m just trying to be fair."

A rare stance that contrasts sharply with the prevailing caution and reminds us of the value of respect in a football world often driven by different priorities.