Cameroon head coach Toni Conceicao has lambasted the Confederation of African Football, CAF, as his team prepares to take on Burkina Faso for the third-place match in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.
The Portuguese is of the opinion that scheduling risks compromising the competitiveness of the biannual tournament.
He said that this weekend’s programme that will see the Indomitable Lions come up against Burkina Faso and Egypt up against Senegal is a ‘shame for African football’.
The game against Burkina Faso at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde will be played in less than 48 hours after they were defeated by Egypt in the second semi-final.
“We are in the same situation [as Egypt],” Conceicao told GOAL. “[It’s] not easy.”
“It’s a shame for African football that the coaches and players are not at 100 per cent. As coaches, we have to find the best solution, and Egypt’s head coach has to find a solution as well.”
Egypt had pleaded with the CAF to push the final back to Monday in light of the exertions of their players.
“[CAF] have to organise it to find what is best for safety and security of players,” Conceicao continued. “We are just the actors who must follow the regulations as everyone else does.
“It’s not easy to recover in 48 hours, science proves that players can’t be recovered totally,” he added.
