Caf must read the signs and move Afcon to July

During the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghanaian striker Tony Yeboah had to play for his national team in South Africa, board a plane to Germany to play for Eintracht Frankfurt and then fly back to play for the Black Stars.

We used to think that was fun, but the man had to wear out thin from sheer exertion. Those were the dark days when African players plying their trade in Europe turned out for their teams; break in January for Afcon and play for their countries in a World Cup year - exhausted and useless.

It cost this continent a lot but it did not bother the Caf authorities at all. As long as they are comfortable in Cairo feeding their children with football money and quenching their thirst with the footballers’ sweat and blood.

After a long while, it came to pass that many European teams never desired African players in their ranks.

The reason was not racist at all but it was due to the fact that the Africans would leave you and rush back for the Afcon just when you need then most when the European league heats up in January.

Such a case is evident at Newcastle, Manchester City and many other teams that are missing their African stars at the moment.

At least, Caf stirred from their endemic slumber and at the helm saw some rationale for having the Afcon held in odd years to avoid clashing with the World Cup year.

BETTER RESULTS

We are yet to see this move translate into better results for our continent but it will save our footballers from burning out much earlier. For the time being, Issa Hayatou & Co. are camped in Equatorial Guinea watching the ‘spectacle’ of African football.

Tickets are hard to come by and some fans were gloating on BBC of having watched the Group ‘B’ matches without paying for it simply because ‘the big gate was opened’.

Millions in this continent are not watching the matches at all simply because it is coinciding with the English Premier League; the Spanish, German and Italian leagues, which they are fans of. When Afcon kicked off on Saturday, all the entertainment joints were showing the English Premier League.

On Sunday, it was the same thing since many would not miss an Arsenal-Man City clash to watch Tunisia playing Cape Verde. In the same vein, those who like watching football in their own houses could not find the matches on the national broadcaster KBC.

The assumption was that everyone has migrated to the digital platform. The whole country has not yet migrated and the rural folk are in the dark about the continental ‘showcase’.

USELESS

These ironical mishaps are almost rendering the Afcon as useless as its organisers. When they could have maximised on the profits that may come from this cup; they were satisfied with the little they gobbled. When we expected some sort of growth in African football; they showed us their ineptness and total disregard of the same. It is Africa and shoddiness is in the genes of our elders.

Indeed it would be much wiser to hold this competition in the months of July or early August.

This way, we shall not be in competition with the leagues of the rest of the world; we shall hog the attention of the whole world and draw in foreign supporters; more of our players will be accepted in the European leagues; there will be more TVs willing to show the matches and that shall translate to the betterment of African football. We are in the tropics and as such our climate allows it.

Over to you Mr Hayatou: Since the word ‘retirement’ doesn’t exist in your vocabulary - like many other African football chiefs - please, you may at least try to be relevant.