There are two matches left for each African team to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup in Cameroon, postponed to 2022. But the Covid-19 pandemic and a Fifa circular cause uncertainty and force several selections to happen of players playing in Europe for the fifth and sixth day of the qualifiers, which begin Wednesday, March 24.
The discord circular dates from February 5.
Enacted by Fifa, it authorizes and allows clubs not to release their internationals, if too long isolation must be imposed on players on their return.
Everywhere in Europe, the positions of clubs have multiplied in favor of blocking internationals brought to travel outside the Old Continent.
For the African teams, who often rely on players playing in professional clubs in Europe, this prospect is terribly restrictive… Especially in view of a 5th and 6th day of decisive qualifying for the CAN qualification in Cameroon.
What does CAF do?
The Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs had agreed on March 17 "unanimously" not to release them for the matches of their selections, fearing that isolation on their return would deprive them of the matches of the 31st day on the weekend of April 3-4.
An agreement that created an uproar.
"I do not understand this decision of Fifa," said Vahid Halilhodzic, Morocco coach.
"It is always an event for a player to come and play in Africa, and we deprive him of that. It is unfair, unsportsmanlike and even discriminatory, because not all players are affected."
On RFI, the coach of the Comoros, Amir Abdou, who is fighting for a historic first qualification for the Coelacanths blamed the African Football Confederation (CAF).
"The Caf did not appear, not a word. There is nothing coming from the CAF. There was no reaction from them, I find that abnormal," he criticizes.
04:40
"CAF was caught up in its own process of changing president (Patrice Motsepe was elected on March 12). All the energy has been put on that rather than on the concrete problem of the qualifiers. There is now a huge distortion but for countries like Ivory Coast, Madagascar or the Comoros for which everything remains to be done, it is crippling to see 5 or 10 players absent for administrative reasons ", analysis Karim Baldé, sports journalist interviewed on France 24.
A waiver granted in extremis
Faced with the growing controversy, the French Ministry of Sports backpedaled and announced, on Saturday, an exemption from the return septaine in case of compliance with a health bubble, on the same model as that granted to footballers of the France team for its international matches.
"The Ministry of Sports confirms that internationals returning from official competition outside the EU with their national, French or foreign team are exempt from the septaine as soon as compliance with a strict health and medical protocol is guaranteed (bubble + daily PCR test back to the club) ", wrote the ministry in a message sent to AFP.
"They will therefore be able to train and play without applying a 7-day period."
At the forefront of the protest against the French decision, the Senegalese Federation jumped at the opportunity and announced the charter of a private flight out and back to transport the 9 players playing in France.
Guinea star Naby Keita, Liverpool midfielder, made his private jet available to Sily National to transport three teammates from France to Guinea: defenders Issiaga Sylla (Lens) and Ibrahima Sory Conté (Niort) and Ligue 2 top scorer, Mohamed Bayo.
Naby Keita's participation in the two-day qualifiers was the subject of intense negotiations between Guinea and the Reds.
The striker will only play the first match on Wednesday against Mali, before returning to England to avoid any absence in the league.
Bravo 👏
The star of Liverpool, Naby Keita, has decided to make his jet available to the Guinean Football Federation, in order to facilitate the arrival of some players from France, to join the camp of the National team.
pic.twitter.com/JTIvLceGAC
- Izem Anass 🇲🇦🇫🇷 (@ IzemPro1) March 22, 2021
Already qualified, Mali has chosen to do without its executives playing in Ligue 1. It is therefore with a team largely inspired by that which reached the final of the CHAN (African Nations Championship) that the Eagles are will present, Wednesday, to face the Silly.
A liberation that does not only make people happy
"It is a great surprise to receive this news on Saturday" from the ministry, said PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino at a press conference.
"We could have anticipated this kind of situation much earlier. It is difficult to understand, to hear, this news at the last moment. For us as for the other clubs, it is not the best timing. I think that ' at the end of this system those who lose the most are the players and the clubs, who have to adapt at the last moment, "he said.
Idrissa Gueye must notably join Senegal.
"The clubs pay the players, which means that we have to be a priority. We cannot make everyone happy at this time of our life," Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp said in early March.
On the other side of the Atlantic, health uncertainties have pushed the South American Football Confederation to postpone qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup indefinitely, a radical way of settling the debate.
The summary of the week
France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 application
google-play-badge_FR