Cape Town - Mark Fish, one of the finest South African footballers to emerge in the 1990s has come up with an ingenious concept to breathe new life into the African Nations Championship (CHAN), which has lost its appeal in various parts of the continent.
For years, CHAN has been the poor relations of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and traditionally restricted to players who play in their countries' domestic leagues. It is played outside the FIFA International Match Calendar, and therefore clubs are not obliged to release players for national team duty.
South Africa have always had good intentions for CHAN, but the custodians of professional football in the country has made it a nightmare for Bafana Bafana to complete. As a result, players are usually not released. Instead, players who have not played for a long time were made available.
The bulk of the national squad for CHAN is drawn from the ranks of the national First Division and age-group teams. In the past seven tournaments, South Africa did not enter three times. On two occasions, South Africa failed to qualify.
Despite the challenges, many countries have not made a concerted effort to qualify for CHAN.
Fish, a CAF Technical Study Group (TSG) member at the seventh African Nations Championship in Algeria last month, feels so much could be done to make the tournament appealing.
It was the second time that Fish has served in this capacity at a CHAN event. He has also served CHAN in various other capacities in several countries. He believes there is a bigger picture, and football should always be the winner when changes are brought about.
"Let us make CHAN an Under-23 tournament and open it to players based in Europe," said Fish in an interview with cafonline.com after the completion of the TotalEnergies CHAN 2022.
"Looking at the format, we can consider players playing on the continent. There's a Cameroonian striker (Marou Souaibou) who has moved to South Africa and he is not eligible to play at the CHAN.
"Most players, if they have the opportunity, want to travel to Europe. But if I am a South African who has the opportunity, why not move to Algeria or Cameroon, to try out a different culture in football?
“It could make the tournament more competitive. No matter where a player plays on the continent, he could be allowed to represent his country. Again, if we are looking at real development, there should be an age limit sometime in the future.
"We could cap the competition at Under-23s. It’s a topic for football lovers. We weren't relevant at the World Cup, but now we are relevant after Qatar and we can build on it.
"We have situations where players hastily move after CHAN. The best thing to do after a competition like this is to have the right agent representing you with interest.
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"I understand some players are in a hurry probably because of poverty, which isn't ideal. Money only lasts for a while. Players should always move for the right reasons to a country that will better them."
Fish, who played for many top clubs in Italy and England including Lazio, Bolton, Ipswich and Charlton, still ranks among the finest players to play for Bafana Bafana.
IOL Sport