"McCarthy says Manchester United didn't pursue a deal for Nigeria striker and 2023 African player of the year, Victor Osimhen, because they didn't want to sign a player they would lose to Afcon for two months in the middle of a Premier League season."
"McCarthy believes the tournament should have retained its traditional schedule in order to give more exposure to talent on the continent, but that more should have been done to prevent the finals from clashing with club competitions."
Benni McCarthy, the only South African to win the men's Champions League with Porto in 2004, discusses the ongoing tension between club and country obligations affecting African players. He highlights how Manchester United avoided signing Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen due to concerns about losing him to Afcon for two months during the Premier League season. McCarthy, now coaching Kenya for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, believes the tournament's shift from biennial to quadrennial scheduling in 2028 should have better prevented clashes with club competitions. He advocates for maintaining traditional tournament schedules to provide greater exposure to African talent while addressing the structural conflicts that disadvantage continental players.
Read at BBC
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]