Stade Rennes coach Habib Beye has defended the Africa Cup of Nations against criticism from European managers, as the tournament approaches in Morocco later this month.
Several European clubs are set to lose key African players for at least a month, prompting frustration among coaches, particularly in England, where December is a congested period for fixtures.
Beye, a former Senegal international who played in the tournament, dismissed complaints about the scheduling.
“As a former international player, I’ve already experienced this kind of thing,” Beye said, as per Africa Top Sports.
“You get the impression that you can move the AFCON whenever you want, place it wherever you want, and give it whatever organisation you want — and it doesn’t happen like that with other federations or other international competitions.”
“Everyone knows AFCON was scheduled for this period a long time ago.”
He added that the tournament’s December timing has long been known.
“It was moved to this date because of the Club World Cup, and everyone knew that from the moment it was moved. Had we been asked to release our players on the 8th, we would have done so on the 8th.
“Our players will now stay until the 15th, and we’re very happy to have them. But if we put ourselves in the shoes of the national team coaches and federations, I find it unacceptable,” he added.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is set to run from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.
