Regragui: "If We Fail, We'll Wait 4 Years for AFCON; CAF Decision Will Restore African Players' Value"

Walid Regragui, head coach of the Moroccan national team, shared his thoughts on the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) decision to organize the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) every four years. His comments came after the Atlas Lions' opening match victory against Comoros.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Regragui stated: "There are good aspects and less good ones. The previous biennial schedule allowed many national teams to develop, grow, and recover quickly. We are in a position to know this; if there was a failure in AFCON, compensation was close. Now, if we fail, we will have to wait four years to try and win it."

The national coach added: "It will be increasingly difficult to assert ourselves. However, at the same time, when we consider the problems we faced with our players in Europe – where the biggest clubs and leagues are, and the best African players play – there is a conflict of interest. Many African players are not valued as they should be by their clubs because they participate in AFCON every two years, which sometimes prevents them from reaching a certain threshold in their careers, and this harms them."

He elaborated: "Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. Once European clubs know that an African player will only participate in AFCON once every four years, they might give these players the value and appreciation they deserve. They might also trust them more because they will lose them less often."