CAF-Accredited journalist Tunde Young has raised concerns about recent changes by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as announced by the body's president Patrice Motsepe, warning that they may not fully serve the needs of African football.
CAF under Motsepe is planning to overhaul the current format of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) by increasing the participating teams to 28 from 24, and hosting it every four years instead of two.
They also plan to introduce an African Nations League in 2029 that will involve all 54 member nations and be played annually, with a 16-team finals tournament held every two years.
Speaking on the planned overhaul by CAF to our correspondent, Young said CAF may be copying global football body FIFA instead of creating solutions that fit Africa.
“I think CAF have to try to be a bit more independent in terms of ideologies,” he said.
He pointed to the relationship between CAF President Motsepe and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, suggesting that CAF could be “mirroring a lot of what Infantino is doing,” including expanding major tournaments.
Young said Africa has unique challenges, including weather and economic issues, which make it hard to fix tournaments at the same time every cycle.
“CAF can’t do that for a number of reasons,” he explained.
While he supports the idea of holding the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) every four years to increase its importance, he questioned the reason behind it.
“I do not think that we should do it specifically to make European clubs happy,” he said.
He also raised concerns about expanding AFCON to more teams, asking, “How many African countries can host 28 or 32 teams?”
Young warned that decisions should be based on Africa’s reality, not foreign models.
“It has to be tailor-made for African football fans,” he said.
He added that CAF must ensure its policies truly reflect the needs of the continent.
