As the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) 2025 approaches in Morocco, Fifa has postponed the release of overseas-based players to December 15, leaving national teams with limited preparation time. Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has voiced strong disapproval, calling it disrespectful to the tournament. This decision exacerbates long-standing tensions between European clubs and African national teams.
The Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) 2025 is set to kick off on December 21 in Morocco, but preparations have been hampered by a recent Fifa decision. Initially, overseas clubs were to release players on December 8, providing teams with about two weeks to prepare. However, following consultations with stakeholders including the Confederation of African Football (Caf), Fifa extended this to December 15, citing conflicts with the expanded Fifa Club World Cup.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos expressed frustration during a training camp at the High-Performance Centre in Pretoria. With the tournament starting in just six days from December 10, only 21 players had reported, missing key overseas talents like Lyle Foster, Sphephelo Sithole, Shandre Campbell, and Siyabonga Ngezana, who are expected next week. "Saying players who are playing abroad cannot join their national teams until the 15th, I wonder what the situation with teams like Morocco, Senegal and Nigeria who only have overseas based players in their set up. I don’t know what FIFA thinks about this competition," Broos said.
The camp began with just 12 players, as Orlando Pirates players received extra rest after their Carling Knockout final. Broos was particularly upset with 19-year-old defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi for missing his flight from Durban, calling it "very unprofessional." In contrast, 20-year-old Tylon Smith from Queens Park Rangers joined early.
This issue echoes broader club-country conflicts. In a 2022 interview, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis criticized Afcon, stating, “Enough of African players. Or they should give up playing in the Africa Cup of Nations. I won’t be buying them anymore for this reason.” His remarks drew backlash from former Napoli captain Kalidou Koulibaly and Caf, who called them “irresponsible and unacceptable.”
Afcon's scheduling has shifted over time to avoid clashes with major tournaments—moving from even to odd years and from January/February to June/July in 2017—but disruptions like Covid-19 have prevented consistency. For South Africa, with most players locally based, the impact is limited, though Broos confirmed a warm-up match against Ghana on December 17 in Gauteng before departing for Morocco on December 18.
Former Ivory Coast defender Sol Bamba highlighted the cultural significance: “What most clubs and managers don’t understand is what it means to us... It was all about Afcon.”
