Nigeria and Fulham winger Samu Chukwueze has urged the global football community to show greater respect for the Africa Cup of Nations, insisting the tournament deserves to be valued alongside the world’s biggest competitions.
The Fulham attacker was speaking amid ongoing debate about the timing of AFCON, which was moved from its traditional summer slot to the winter months, creating disruption for European clubs forced to release their African players mid-season.
Premier League sides and other European teams are often without key players for several weeks during the tournament, a situation that has fuelled criticism and, at times, diminished the standing of the competition in some quarters.
For Chukwueze, however, representing Nigeria at AFCON remains a source of pride rather than inconvenience.
“Everyone wants to play in AFCON. It is one of the best tournaments in the world,” he told Reuters. “You have to respect AFCON in the same way that you respect the Euros or the World Cup.”
The 25-year-old acknowledged the challenges caused by the scheduling but stressed that the importance of the tournament outweighs the difficulties.
“We understand that they have planned it at the wrong time of the year, but when it is important and you are taken off, you have to leave,” he said. “You have no choice. Your club can’t stop you, and no one should say anything bad about AFCON.”
Chukwueze added that criticism of the tournament’s stature is unfair and dismissive of African football.
“Yes, they have put it at the wrong time, but to say it’s not a good or big tournament is unacceptable,” he said.
As Nigeria chase continental success, Chukwueze’s comments reflect a wider feeling among African players, that AFCON is not just a competition, but a celebration of identity, pride and the highest level of football on the continent.
