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As the poor organization of the ongoing Africa Cup ofNations (AFCON) continues to be a topic of contention, Morocco’s head coach Vahid Halilhodzic took issue this week with the African Football Confederation’s (CAF) scheduling of Morocco’s press conferences.
Speaking yesterday, on the eve of Morocco’s Atlas Lions’ last group game against Gabon’s Panthers, the Moroccan head coach denounced CAF’s last-minute calls for press conferences.
The Bosnian coach notably decried the time in which the CAF organizes his press conferences, threatening to not attend upcoming press briefings if the CAF continues with its inappropriate scheduling.
“I would like you [the organizers] to inform me earlier. As you know, I have obligations with my team and it may happen that I cannot attend […] Next time, please communicate with us to see the time that suits us the best,” Halilhodzic said.
Arguing that he has responsibilities to fulfill as a national team coach, the Moroccan coach vowed to only attend CAF conferences that suit his schedule. “It’s not the CAF that pays him but the FRMF [Royal Moroccan Football Federation],” he said.
While clearly stating that he does not intend to boycott CAF-organized events, the Atlas Lions coach urged the AFCON organizers to improve their communication.
Taking place in Cameroon, this year’s AFCON has been subject to widespread criticism due to poor organization by both the Cameroonian football federation and the CAF.
Read also: AFCON 2021: Morocco’s Bounou Refuses to Speak Other Language Than Arabic
Several scandals have shaken Africa’s most prestigious competition in the past few days. One of the most covered controversies took place as Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe officiated the game between Tunisia and Mali on January 12.
Twice in that game, Sikazwe mistakenly blew the final whistle before the end of normal time, infuriating Tunisia’s staff and eliciting ridicule from watchers in Africa and around the world.
More controversy followed less than an hour after the referring debacle from the Zambian official as the organizing committee twice played the wrong national anthem for Mauritania ahead of the country’s opening match against Gambia.
Morocco’s AFCON delegation also had their share of bizarre scenes. One came when Atlas Lions’ goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was asked at Morocco’s previous press conference to speak in languages (English or French) other than Arabic, with the organizers saying that there were no Arabic translators available at the press conference.
But Bounou turned down the request, stressing that the translation issue was the committee’s problem and not his.
In the months preceding the start of the 2021 AFCON, there was much discussion about the possible postponement of the tournament due to Cameroon’s lack of proper infrastructure and readiness.
But Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, defied all such reports and maintained that the Central African country was fully prepared to host the competition.
