CAN 2025: Disrespect sparks outrage as African teams cry scandal | OneFootball

CAN 2025

One simple decision, and the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has already been thrown into turmoil. FIFA has outright betrayed CAF and the African teams set to compete in the tournament.

The Africa Cup of Nations is set to kick off on December 21 in Morocco. National teams across the continent expected to have their international players released as early as Monday, the 8th, in line with FIFA regulations. However, European clubs pressured the governing body to push back player release until Monday, the 15th—and got their way.

This decision has infuriated the participating teams, many of whom had already scheduled training camps and friendlies for the coming week. The move is being seen as a blatant sign of disrespect. Originally, the tournament was supposed to be played this summer, but after negotiations, CAF agreed to make way for the FIFA Club World Cup.