*Undated
The manager of the Senegal national team has called out Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for his comments on the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Klopp was involved in a heated debate after he described the competition as a 'little tournament' but later clarified that his comments had been misinterpreted, clashing with a journalist and claiming that he used the phrase figuratively.
But the Senegal boss, Aliou Cisse, was not impressed with his comments and highlighted that the German will be losing key players from his Liverpool side.
Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita are all set to feature for their respective nations at the tournament which takes place in Cameroon between January 9th and February 6th 2022 and Cisse questioned the attitude Klopp has towards the competition.
"Who does Klopp think he is?" Said Aliou Cisse. “I manage Senegal and my players play for Klopp at Liverpool. I respect Liverpool but not Klopp who undermines African football events."
The former Portsmouth midfielder then added that without several of his African stars, Klopp would not have the accolades he has won during his time at Anfield. "He is where he is today because of African footballers," Cisse continued.
“He was losing every final until Salah, Mane, Matip came to his rescue to win his first-ever major European final. Today, he has the guts to call AFCON a ‘small tournament’. AFCON has the same number of participants, 24, as the UEFA Euro. So who does he think he is?AFCON will have the same superstars that are currently helping him to shine at Liverpool. AFCON is the same quality as the Euros.”
Players from the Premier League are set to link up with their nations for the competition after the Boxing Day fixtures in preparation for their group stage fixtures.
More with the AFCON, A former Technical Director of the Confederation of African Football, Abdel Moneim Shatta has cast doubt over the hosting of the African spectacle. The tournament was originally scheduled to be played in June and July 2021 but Caf announced on January 15th, 2020, that due to unfavourable climatic conditions during this period, the tournament would take place from January 9th to February 6th, 2021.
However, on June 30th, 2020, Caf moved the tournament for the second time, then to January 2022 following the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic across the continent, whilst retaining the name 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship purposes.
However, according to Shatta, the tournament is now facing uncertainty and could be cancelled because the host country is facing problems with finishing the preparations. “The committees that went to Cameroon saw that the time was not enough to finish the preparations for the African Nations Cup, but Fifa is taking over this issue and opened an office there to run things,” Shatta explained.
“Cameroon when it requested to host the Nations Cup, the number of participants in the tournament was 16 teams, not 24, and the opening stadium in Cameroon so far there is a great deal of confusion around it. If the tournament is not held on time, no country is able to host the tournament even if it is postponed for 3 or 4 months, and if it is not held on time, it will be cancelled."
Shatta also revealed the possibility of the tournament being moved to Qatar if Cameroon fails to beat the deadline.
“Caf is led by Fifa now since the appearance of Fatma Samoura on the scene, everything is possible, and it’s up to Fifa to approve that the Afcon be held outside the continent.” With the Afcon expanded from 16 to 24 teams, at least six venues are expected to be used across five Cameroonian cities.
The six stadiums selected to host matches are the Olembe Stadium and Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in the capital Yaounde, the Japoma Stadium in Douala, the Limbe Stadium in Limbe, the Kouekong Stadium in Bafoussam and the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua.
The opening match of the tournament between Cameroon and Burkina Faso and the final are set to take place at the newly built 60,000 seater Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.