Motsepe Assures Smooth Player Release For AFCON 2025
CAF president Patrice Motsepe has asserted that there is no threat to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco being undermined by clubs abroad refusing to release their players.
Motsepe stated that he has been in dialogue with the European Club Association since the AFCON 2025 was rescheduled to December 2025 to January 2026, due to the FIFA Club World Cup being held in the United States in June and July.
The mid-season timing of the competition raises concerns about clubs, especially larger European clubs, potentially obstructing player releases. However, Motsepe, whose term as CAF president ends next year, emphasizes that he has engaged with the European Club Association board and that everyone is aligned on prioritizing CAF’s main competitions.
“I was at the European Clubs National Association meetings a few weeks ago,” said Motsepe.
“You have got to understand that we want the best Africa players for our competitions. Crucially. The best teams in the world have got our players and there will be times when we want them, and you have a FIFA calendar.
“We understand and we want to work together with everybody, and we also have a clear non-negotiable understanding and commitment to make sure that when we have our competitions, we have got the best African players available.
“We work together, we argue with Europe and sometimes we agree and disagree, and very strongly. But I think there is a common understanding.
“The discussions I had with my counterparts in Europe have been mutually beneficial. Would they be agreements and disagreements? There are always agreements and disagreements.
“But I can tell you this, there is more respect for African football than ever before. We are nice, polite, and we are respectful. But we also know that they are the issues that are none-negotiable, absolutely none-negotiable.
“If there are issues, we will put our foot down and say, ‘On these issues, we are going to fight’. So, we are making progress, we have got a good relationship with all the people – confederations, club associations, issues with conflict, issues with potential conflict – we are trying to manage them as best we can and find common ground.”
Motsepe made these remarks during the 2022-2023 audited Financial Report and 2024-2025 budget presentation at the 46th CAF Ordinary Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday.
CAF achieved a significant financial turnaround in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, reducing losses from USD 28.9 million to USD 9.2 million.
