Claude Le Roy Doesn’t Want a Third Place Playoff Today

Claude LeRoy is not a happy man. Obviously he’s not happy that the Black Stars were dumped out in the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals by Cameroon on Thursday, but he’s even less happy that his team have to play again today, just two days after that demoralizing defeat.

“It is complete nonsense,” Le Roy said. “There is no regeneration in 48 hours. Maybe one day the people in charge of football in Africa will understand to put this game on the same day as the final to respect the players.”

He’s got a point there. Between the crushing disappointment of coming so close but now quite making the final and the barely-worthy-sitting-down two days break, the players (and it seems coaches) will likely approach the third place playoff with less enthusiasm than otherwise. I also agree that maybe having the third place playoff on the same day as the final would be a decent idea. If played before the final (in a different stadium so as not to break the players hearts) then the players get an extra day off, and viewers at home get a nice double bill of football on final day.

Still, this might cheer LeRoy up: despite his failure to win the Africa Cup of Nations the Ghanaian FA are going to give the Frenchman another chance and offer him a new contract when his current deal expires.