“It is unacceptable that this information is communicated so late to the coaches and associations involved in such an important competition,” complained Habib Beye, former Senegalese international and current coach of French first division club Stade Rennes. Even though it is of course an advantage for him as a coach in Europe to have his African players with him longer, you also have to see the other side. Unfortunately, this “interference” by FIFA, which aims to “minimize competition”, does not come as a surprise.
One thing is clear: none of this does justice to the sporting value of the tournament. After all, top players like Achraf Hakimi, who wants to storm to the title with the favored hosts, or young stars like Leipzig winger Yan Diomande can hardly wait for it to finally get started. “We grew up with our national team – it made us cry, it made us dream. Now we are the ones who inspire children,” enthused the RB player. When Diomande starts the tournament with defending champions Ivory Coast against Mozambique next Wednesday, “a dream” will come true for him – despite all the noise.