Angola coach Patrice Beaumelle accuses FIFA of undervaluing AFCON with seven-day player release decision

Angola head coach Patrice Beaumelle has launched a scathing criticism at FIFA after the global football body confirmed it will require clubs to release African players only seven days before the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. His remarks come amid growing dissatisfaction across the continent following FIFAs announcement that directly contradicts its own 14-day compulsory release rule for major international tournaments.FIFA only needs Africa during elections, but it doesnt value our competitions like AFCON or give them the recognition they deserve, Beaumelle said.The decision, announced by the Bureau of the FIFA Council on Wednesday, has ignited widespread outrage, especially as the ruling applies solely to the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.The tournament kicks off in Morocco on 21 December, yet clubs will now only be required to release players on 15 December, barely six days before teams play their opening matches.FIFA argued that the shortened window is in line with the same principle used for the FIFA World Cup 2022, but African football officials and coaches insist the ruling exposes a longstanding pattern of unequal treatment.Many believe it undermines AFCONs stature, places national teams at a competitive disadvantage and reinforces the notion that African football is undervalued on the global stage.