AFCON Date Change “Fantastic” – Jose Mourinho

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has expressed his delight over the date change of the African Cup of Nations AFCON.

Speaking exclusively to ESPN after Manchester United lost 1-0 to Barcelona in a pre-season friendly, Mourinho called the date change “fantastic”.

When reporters explained the new change to Mourinho, he said: “If that’s the change then it’s fantastic for us.”

“Obviously because it’s hard in the middle of the season to lose players like we do, and with so many African players playing in the best competitions in Europe it’s not good for the clubs, it’s not good for the competitions and it’s not good for the players.”

Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that the AFCON will now take place in June/July, starting from the 2019 tournament in Cameroon.  The calendar change was enacted by CAF last week after an executive symposium in Rabat, Morocco.

The Confederation also announced that the AFCON will now be expanded to 24 teams.