Is AFCON 2023 putting the brakes on African players' summer transfers?

The AFCON 2023 starts in less than 6 months and it is a real headache for European clubs. To take part in the continental tournament in Ivory Coast, African players will have to leave for a few weeks to represent their countries. When planning their transfer business, European clubs are thinking twice before signing an African international. Even if club officials won't admit it publicly, behind closed doors there is real grumbling about losing a key player at a pivotal point in the season. With the governing body's rules tying clubs' hands by obliging them to release called-up internationals during FIFA windows, targeted African players' files are being shoved to the bottom of the pile, as clubs prefer to focus on other options who have no international tournament to play in mid-season.

"A sporting director refused to sign an African international because of AFCON 2023"

Preferring to remain anonymous so as not to jeopardise ongoing negotiations for his African players, a well-known agent in French football admits that there are indeed clubs refusing to sign African internationals because of AFCON 2023. "It's a fact. In France, where I deal regularly with clubs, presidents are not enthusiastic when you offer them African players. Right now, I had an African defender who was not signed because the defensive unit is largely made up of African players who are expected to be at AFCON barring a surprise. A sporting director looking for a left-back, when I put forward an African international, he turned it down automatically," the agent told us. Continuing, he criticised the AFCON scheduling, which puts club officials in an uncomfortable position and also stops players from seizing the good opportunities that come their way. "I can't blame these club officials. They pay the wages. They have very important objectives. Take a club fighting relegation that will lose more than 5 players for a month and a half and then get them back exhausted or even injured. It's not easy. There will inevitably be consequences in the final table. Clubs look after their own interests, after all. That's why several internationals will face real difficulties this summer finding a club willing to take the risk of signing them and releasing them to play AFCON. CAF must act to protect these players," the agent said.

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Pressure on clubs

A few days before AFCON 2022, Victor Osimhen withdrew after testing positive for Covid-19. There was general surprise when, a few days later, the Nigerian striker was back on Serie A pitches to continue the season in the middle of AFCON. Had he come under pressure from his club and its president? In any case, a few months later, in August 2022, the Napoli president launched a vehement attack on the staging of AFCON in January. "Don't talk to me about Africans any more. I wish them well, but either they sign a waiver to opt out of AFCON or else (…) I never have them available. We are the fools who pay the wages to send them off to play for others," raged Aurelio De Laurentiis.

At a time when African internationals are waiting to find a new club, AFCON 2023 is emerging as a brake on this summer transfer window. Despite an excellent season with Ajax, Mohammed Kudus, who is targeted by several clubs, is not a priority because of his absence next January. Only CAF can settle this problem for good and come to the aid of African players by changing the AFCON schedule, which is becoming a poisoned chalice.