Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has reignited the long-running debate over the global football calendar, insisting that domestic leagues should pause during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to protect the quality and integrity of competition.
Speaking as AFCON 2025 continues, Ferdinand argued that the absence of African players during the tournament significantly dilutes the standard of Europe’s top leagues, particularly the English Premier League.
More than 40 players left Premier League clubs to represent their countries at the ongoing tournament, a situation Ferdinand believes weakens the product on the pitch and undervalues African football.
“African players are so prominent now,” Ferdinand said.
“There are so many African players playing on the biggest stage i; n the Premier League, other European leagues and the Champions League. When those players leave, it’s diluting the quality of the Premier League, La Liga and all the other leagues we talk about.
The former centre-back questioned why AFCON continues to be staged during the European club season, unlike other major international tournaments.
There’s got to be a push for this tournament to be put around the same time as the others,” he added.
“The Euros, the Copa America ; they’re played when everyone’s off. Why isn’t the African version?
Ferdinand admitted he struggles to understand the logic behind the current scheduling, stressing that clubs with African players are placed at a clear disadvantage.
“It just doesn’t make sense to me,” he said.
“It’s detrimental to a lot of teams that have African players in them.”
AFCON has long been a point of tension between clubs and national teams, but Ferdinand’s comments reflect a growing call from within European football for greater alignment and respect for Africa’s premier international competition.
