Same old issues

Even if the ACN was the occasion of showcasing the prowess of the continent’s best players and clubs, it also revealed some long-term issues that were already known to undermine African football, especially at the organizational level.

In many African countries, football has yet to reach a truly professional level. Philippe Troussier, a former French footballer who has managed many African national teams since 1994, says national football associations’ lack of financial resources and disorganization undermine national selection and their team-building ability.

Interviewed by French daily Le Figaro, Troussier said that it is not rare for players to have to personally press their country’s political authorities to ensure they get paid their due salary during a competition.

Indeed, such events are common in the world of African football, and similar situations have occurred again at the most recent ACN. On January 7, the Warriors, as the national team of Zimbabwe is known, boycotted a farewell dinner and refused to board their chartered plane in the capital Harare, just hours before the start of the competition. The players demanded