Angola coach furious as AFCON plans turn south

With Angola set to face Bafana Bafana in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations opener, coach Patrice Beaumelle has launched a scathing rant after learning he must alter his AFCON preparations.

Beaumelle has expressed frustration after recent developments confirmed that clubs are only obligated to release players for AFCON on 14 December.

It was initially believed that participating players would be permitted to join their national team camps from 8 December.

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Angola are scheduled to open their AFCON 2025 campaign against Bafana on 22 December.

The French coach has slammed the development, insisting that it is not only disrespectful but also disrupts his preparation plans.

Beaumelle told French outlet RMC Sport: "I had scheduled two friendly matches on the 13th and 16th. It's truly disrespectful to this magnificent continent of football, Africa.

"All the clubs are interested in signing African players. But you have to understand that when players come, it's because they've had a good run in the Africa Cup of Nations or the African Nations Championship.

"This is the continent of football. The Africa Cup of Nations is a magnificent competition that the whole world will follow. And we're not doing this continent any favors. How are you supposed to prepare properly?

"I'm talking about acclimatization, about preparation. I just want the clubs to respect that. If we had known this two or three months ago, we would have done things differently. We plan everything according to FIFA, and today, a week before the start of the training camp, we learned that clubs can release players on the 14th.

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"I submitted a list of 55 players, and my administration called each player to ask when they would be released to ensure we had them on the 8th or 9th. And they were all okay with it.

"You know that once you're there (in Morocco), you won't be working on strategies or formations. During the camp, you work on player chemistry, combinations, set pieces, and video analysis.

"It's also a chance to have interviews and build relationships, especially since we're having more and more dates taken away from us."

By Lukhanyo Mtuta

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2025 Africa Cup Of Nations Angola Bafana Bafana Patrice Beaumelle