HUGO BROOS SLAMS FIFA: LATE PLAYER RELEASE IS "DISRESPECT TO AFRICAN SOCCER"
South Africa coach Hugo Broos fiercely criticises FIFA's decision to delay player release for AFCON, calling it a blatant disrespect, though it favors his Bafana Bafana squad.
South Africa's coach, Hugo Broos, isn't happy with FIFA's call to let clubs keep national team players until just six days before the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025. He sees it as disrespect to African soccer.
But he thinks this might actually help his team, Bafana Bafana. While some of their biggest competitors scramble with a shorter prep time, his mostly local team can spend more time practising together.
They started camp this past Monday with only a dozen players. Later, some Orlando Pirates players joined after getting extra time off after the Carling Cup final.
FIFA, feeling pressure from European clubs, decided teams only need to release players on the Monday before the tournament. This hits teams like Morocco, Senegal, and Cameroon the hardest.
The tournament's timing is tough since it's in the middle of the European season. But it seems crazy that FIFA would make the same decision for a tournament like the European Championships.
Broos told reporters, If players playing overseas can't join their national teams until the 15th, what about teams like Morocco, Senegal, and Nigeria, who only have players based overseas? I don’t know what FIFA thinks about this competition.
Morocco gets their players on the 15th, and six days later, they play their first game. It just shows what FIFA thinks about Africa. I'm sure European clubs pushed them to move the dates.
South Africa will feel the impact, but not as much as other teams.
Striker Lyle Foster has a game for Burnley against Fulham this Saturday, and then he'll join the team. But he's a regular player and knows his role.
The same goes for midfielder Sphephelo Sithole, who plays in Portugal. He also has a game on Saturday. His role on the team is clear, and Broos isn't planning any big changes.
Centre-back Siyabonga Ngezana might be injured, but he might play in a Europa League game tonight. After that, he can join the team since his club doesn't play again until Monday.
Tylon Smith, a young player from Queens Park Rangers, is already in camp. But he's been playing for the club's development team and hasn't been close to the first team this season.
Broos is annoyed by the situation with winger Shandre Campbell. He hasn't played much for Club Brugge this season, but was told to stay in Belgium until the last minute.
Broos said, The day he got called up, we got a letter from Brugge saying he won't be released until the 15th.
I think that's a bit unfair. You could do that with a player who's always in the first team. But Shandre is usually on the bench, or not even on the bench, or only plays for a few minutes.
So why keep him at the club when he could be preparing for AFCON with the national team?
It's worth noting that Broos is a legend at Brugge, winning many titles with them as a player and coach. But that didn't matter in this case.
Bafana's players based in Saudi Arabia, Mohau Nkota and Elias Mokwana, can join the team since their season has a break.
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
