Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA has on Saturday, February 1, 2020, proposed to the Confederation of African Football, CAF, that the Africa Cup of Nations be held every four years instead of two, as he outlined his vision to “project African football to the top of the world”.
Infantino was speaking at a CAF seminar in Morocco, focusing on the development of football competitions and infrastructure in Africa.
“I propose to organise the Africa Cup of Nations every four years rather than two years,” the Fifa President said.
“The CAN [Africa Cup of Nations] generates twenty times less than the Euros. Having a CAN every two years, is that good at the commercial level? Has this developed the infrastructure? Think about spending it every four years,” Infantino told delegates in Rabat.
The next Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Cameroon in 2021 and will revert back to its original placing of January and February in the calendar.
Last year, the Nations Cup in Egypt was held in June and July for the first time and was expanded to 24 teams.
Infantino spoke about the Africa Cup of Nations as he unveiled a joint Fifa/Caf strategy focused on three key areas.
“We have to develop African solutions to African problems. We have identified three areas for intervention namely refereeing, infrastructure and competitions.
“I think it’s time to stop talking about the development of African football, and take actions. No African team has won the World Cup. And there is an impression Africa is going backwards,” Infantino added.
Read more at BBC
