With under three weeks remaining until the tournament in Morocco, scheduled from December 21st to January 18th, football’s global governing body announced on Wednesday that clubs are only required to release players starting December 15th, rather than two weeks before the continental championship begins, as previously mandated by FIFA regulations.

Senegal have called off their planned training camp in Tunisia, sources revealed, while Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and the reigning champions Ivory Coast are forced to reconsider their preparation arrangements in Portugal and Spain.

"What is frustrating and draining is that since the last international window, we have been finalizing our preparations," said Angola’s French head coach Patrice Beaumelle.

"We planned to begin the camp on December 8th in the Algarve area of southern Portugal. I have been traveling to the location for six weeks. Everything has been set up, including training session plans and venues for friendly matches. Now, all of this is uncertain.

"We must be in Morocco by the 18th to compete on the 22nd, so we can no longer consider it a training camp," he added.

Several scheduled friendly matches intended to prepare teams for the tournament are also at risk of being cancelled.

"Initially, we aimed to play two friendlies on December 14th and 18th, but we will likely only play one, against an opponent yet to be confirmed," said Gabon coach Thierry Mouyouma.

Most of the 24 nations participating in the AFCON finals select players from European clubs, which normally would have been required to release them after this weekend.

FIFA stated that the reduced release period, similar to the approach taken for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, was agreed upon after discussions with the Confederation of African Football and other stakeholders to "minimize the impact on all parties involved," without providing further details.

Mali coach Tom Saintfiet, however, criticized the move as disrespectful to African football, suggesting FIFA prioritized European clubs.

Coaches also condemned the late announcement, noting that the AFCON dates were declared in June of the previous year, giving FIFA sufficient time to decide.

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