The Big Question: Should the African Cup of Nations Be Moved to Summer?

As the African Cup of Nations gets closer, the complaining from Premier League clubs gets louder. Chelsea are bracing themselves for the loss of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel, while Portsmouth might struggle to field a team when they lose the likes of Kanu, John Utaka, Sulley Muntari, Papa Bouba Diop, Lauren and maybe Djimi Traoré. Though they’re probably better off without Traoré. As is traditional, the clubs have been calling for the ACN to be moved to the summer, where it won’t inconvenience them, and players like Muntari are supporting the idea as the tournament interferes with their club careers. But is this a realistic solution?

The biggest problem with a summer African Cup of Nations is the weather. “We hold it in January and February because of our rainy seasons,” says Issa Hayatou, of the Confederation of African Football. “The simple fact is that in June three-quarters of Africa is under water. So just as Europeans can’t play in winter because their pitches are frozen, we can’t play in summer because most of ours are flooded.” He’s exaggerating, but the rainy season is a meteorological fact.

The other problem is competition. A summer ACN would clash with either the European Championships or the Copa America, meaning a significant loss in global attention and therefore revenue. And with the ACN being held every two years, the players would almost never get a day off, going straight through the European season and then to the ACN every two years, and to the World Cup every four years.

The other argument is that it doesn’t need to be held every two years. But the African Cup of Nations isn’t isn’t like the Euros, where the financial gardens of all concerned are relatively rosy. The ACN is not just a tournament, it’s an integral part of the growth of African football, with a different host nation getting revenue from the event every two years. So, as Gavin Peacock (possibly angling for a job presenting the BBC’s ACN 2008 coverage) points out: “The tournament needs to benefit African football, not European football and if that means it’s played in January and February then it needs to be played then.”

Most importantly, Premier League clubs know what they’re getting into when they sign African players. The African Cup of Nations doesn’t appear out of nowhere, it’s written in big letters on the international calendar. If Portsmouth fall apart while their African players are away, then that’s their fault for failing to prepare.

The tournament undoubtedly has the moral high ground over Premiership clubs, who are basically just being greedy and wanting everything their own way. But the real worry for the ACN is the players. Guys like Muntari and Celestine Babayaro have started calling for a change, signaling they’re not too happy with having to leave their clubs at an important time of the season. It’s not impossible that players might stop showing up for the tournament, just as Kaka and Ronaldinho missed the Copa America this year. Right now there’s nothing the European clubs can do, and the ACN can pretty much tell them tough luck. But if the big name players start withdrawing then the Confederation of African Football will have the beginnings of a genuine problem.