Former Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has expressed concerns about the timing of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The Confederation of African Football has announced that the tournament will take place from December 2025 to January 2026, a period when European clubs, particularly in England, will be in the midst of their busy season. This scheduling could complicate the release of African players for the championship.

“It’s a very difficult situation, but this is our job. This is the kind of job we want to do,” Badu told Joy Sports. “You need to be there and represent your country, you need to make yourself proud, your country proud. So whenever you get the call-up, whether it’s Christmas time, whether the European club will worry us, you just need to come and do the job for your country.

“It’s just unfortunate, but we need to abide by it and just go with it. I hope it will not repeat itself because it will bring a lot of chaos for the players,” he added.

Agyemang Badu, who represented Ghana at several Nations Cups and was a runner-up in 2010, emphasized the importance of balancing national duty with club commitments despite the challenges posed by the tournament’s timing.

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