The Confederation of African Football announced the Nations Cup will "maintain its two-yearly schedule despite pressure from European clubs, but will not follow the World Cup in expanding the number of participants," according to Mark Gleeson of REUTERS. The staging of the African championship every other January "draws heavy criticism from clubs in Europe, which are forced to release players in the middle of their seasons." CAF General Secretary Hicham El Amrani said, "It is always a contentious date from a European perspective, but not from the perspective of Africa. It has been the most successful way to develop and organize African football. ... It’s critical to keep it every two years if we are further develop infrastructure. The Nations Cup brings not only new stadiums but also upgrades in terms of airports, road and hotels." The '23 event in Guinea will, however, "have to move from the usual January slot because the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will only just have finished the previous December." Amrani: "Those are specifically exceptional circumstances." He added that an expansion of the tournament was "not on the agenda" (REUTERS, 1/13).
