The importance of the presence of selectors during the CAN 2023 draw
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) recently held the draw for the group stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. This event always attracts a lot of attention and expectations from the national teams who will participate to the competition. However, this year, one element raised questions: several coaches were unable to be present during the draw due to traveling with their teams for international matches.
This situation has been criticized by some coaches, including Sébastien Desabre of the Democratic Republic of Congo national team. The latter expressed his dissatisfaction with the timing of the draw, stressing that CAF could have chosen a later date to allow the presence of all the coaches concerned.
In a statement relayed by the FootRDC site, Sébastien Desabre declared: “Sincerely, I would like to know who, at CAF, had the brilliant idea of placing the draw on this date. It’s a bit nonsense.” He adds that his priority as coach is to be with his players and that he could not afford to be absent two days before a match.
This issue raises questions about the organization of events by CAF. It is essential to guarantee the presence of the selectors during key moments such as the draw, in order to maintain a balance between the imperatives of the national team and the promotion of the competition.
As supporters and football enthusiasts, we hope that these concerns will be taken into account by CAF in the future, to ensure better participation of coaches during CAN-related events.
Conclusion
The draw for the group stage of CAN 2023 was marred by the absence of certain coaches, who were unable to be present due to traveling with their teams. This situation raises questions about the organization of events by CAF. It is essential to find solutions to guarantee the presence of selectors at key moments, in order to maintain the fairness and integrity of the competition. Hoping that in the future, better measures will be taken to ensure the participation of all key players in the CAN.