The 33rd edition of Africa’s most glamorous football event, the Africa Cup of Nations, will kick off on January 09, 2022 in Cameroon amidst serious uncertainties.

The future of the 24-nation tournament is in jeopardy, if threats from European Club Association (ECA) are anything to go bye.

Let us not deceive ourselves, Europe is no friend of Africa and they’ve never hidden this fact from us. The only problem is that Africa is somehow naïve in the way it has responded to European deceit. Africa has pretended to act, as if all is well, when in reality, all is not well.

Former CAF president, Issa Hayatou, fought this battle until his last days in office, refusing to accede to the demands of the Europeans who requested that the timing of the tournament be moved to June/July when the season would have ended in Europe.

But ECA, while making this demand, which could be legal to some extent, has refused to take into consideration the weather problem the tournament will contend with at that in most African countries. This is the season of heavy downpour in most African countries and organizing this tournament at such time will take shine off the tournament as weather that will not allow for best of football.

The only region where the tournament can hold if Europe proposed time is given due consideration will be in North or Southern Africa, meaning that only these two regions can host the tournament without hiccups.

The implication is that the vast majority of African countries – West, East and Central- would be ruled out of hosting the tournament, a situation that is better imagined. It means Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and many other big African playing nations cannot dream of hosting AFCON. As a way to checkmate European clubs in not wanting to release African players that FIFA came up with a rule that players must be released 14 days to the start of any major tournament, the AFCON inclusive.

Having failed to achieve the above, ECA has devised another strategy, using the COVID-19 as an alibi to deny African teams the opportunity of participating in the next AFCON without their top players.

Having failed to convince CAF to postpone the tournament on the premise of COVID-19- a tournament that was postponed from last year January due to COVID-19 concern – ECA has written to FIFA insisting that European clubs would not release their African players for the AFCON. What an affront on Africa.

In a report by espn.com last Wednesday, ECA wrote FIFA Deputy Secretary General, Mattias Grafstrom, on December 10, requesting Europe-based players from reporting to camp for the AFCON.

In the letter, ECA outlined their fears that CAF would not implement strict protocols to protect players from COVID-19 infection during the tournament, while also identifying as “unmanageable” the 2022 AFCON release dates (which start from December 27) and the clash with fixtures for English and French clubs allowing players to be released.

“As you know, the pandemic and its associated implications raised three fundamental concerns for clubs when it comes to the release of players to national teams,” ECA said in a statement.

“First, the clubs’ duty to ensure each and every player’s wellbeing is properly protected; second, that clubs are not forced to be without players for club competition matches; third, that all players resume their activities with their clubs following national duty in a timely fashion, as per the applicable rules.”

The ECA’s letter was sent in light of an Executive Board meeting on December 2.

“The ECA executive board unanimously reconfirmed its position that the three principles referred to above must be strictly respected and should this not be the case, that players will not be released for national team duty,” the letter concluded.

All the above points to one thing, ECA does not want to release African players for the tournament because in its own estimation, it is a ‘tiny tournament’ that does not deserve such attention.

We need not be told that ECA does not have the slightest regard for AFCON. As far it is concerned, it is non-existent tournament that does not deserve any attention.

Who should be blamed for the fate that is likely to befall AFCON is something urgent is not done? Europeans or Africans? Africans of course. Europeans want to protect their business interest in the form of huge investment in African players. And they are ready to go to any length to ensure that their investment is protected, even if it means calling AFCON a tiny tournament.

If not for European clubs, many African players would not have had the opportunity to exhibit their God-given talents. And he who pays the piper calls the tune.

What have African countries done to their football; they’ve allowed it to wallow in abject poverty. They’ve refused to develop what has the capacity not only to turn millions of African youths from crime but also escape abject poverty. Football has become an avenue to siphon African scarce resources into private pockets.

Had African countries developed their football and can compete favourably with European football; we will not be subjected to such slavery treatment that may become the lot of AFCON.

And why will Europe respect Africa when in terms of financial contribution to world football, Africa contribute less than one percent. Only on Wednesday, FIFA released money spent on players’ agent globally in 2021 amounting to $500.8m. Of this amount, European clubs accounted for 95.8%. However, six European countries, England ($133.3m), Germany ($84.3m), Italy ($73.5m), Spain ($34.8m), France ($30.3m) and Portugal ($ 29.3m) were responsible for 77.0% of this sum worldwide. Africa contributed zero.

Even the players that we are proud to call our own have their talents in Europe. None became a global icon by playing in Africa.

Time has come for CAF to realise that if care is not taken, AFCON might go into oblivion, if African countries fail to develop their football. It will get to a stage when African players will chose their European clubs over their national teams. This will come when the players will be forced to sign contract that will exclude them from taking part in any international tournament when their leagues are on.