Leagues should break for AFCON, simple as that! Would stop the quality being diluted without African players CC: Rio Ferdinand, Joel Beya, #AFCON2025

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Totally agree. Because it's Africa, they don't care. If it were the Euro or the Nations League, they'd be break.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya No int. torno should be mid-season. Simple really.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya 👏🏼 This is common sense. AFCON removes key starters from squads, which impacts tactics, rhythm, and fairness. A coordinated break protects league quality, player welfare, and respects African football as a major part of the global game.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Ferdinand it’s the weather.. Most parts of Africa have the highest amount of rain fall in June July…

I listened 10 seconds and you said 2 dumb things No, the quality of the league hasn’t gone down because players left for Afcon No Afcon cannot be played in the summer for the same reason that the Qatar World Cup wasn’t played in the summer, I’ll let you figure out wha the reason is

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Thank you, Rio. Someone had to say it.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Isn't the reason is because of the weather? If they did it in the summer, in Africa, players would collapse

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Maybe AFCON should always be hosted when Copa America and Euros are being played, why will u fix tournaments in the middle of the season?

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Exactly 👏 Breaking leagues for AFCON makes sense—keeps the competition fair and ensures top-quality football isn’t diluted without the African stars. ⚽🌍 #AFCON2025

Rio personally I don’t think we have to conform to fit in the European schedule. It’s like telling us ow your time difference is too far off bring it closer to us 👀. The AFCON is our competition and we have to play it when and how we want. If it dilutes or disrupts the European game let it disrupt.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Carra driving to sky sport studio right now 😄

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya The next one will be June/July.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Probably to keep the viewing and match day going audiences for those so called big tournaments high because if afcon is held at the same time euro is held, viewing will reduce for the euro bcos lots of Africans will switch to afcon.

First, it should be noted that CAF didn't just pick January/February for AFCON tournament CAF did so because of the variable African climate In some African nations, it's rainy seasons, for some its extreme heat conditions. All these can affect football pitches and playing conditions That's the reason why January/February has been the preferable date for AFCON tournaments That said, there is no way Leagues all over the world will go on break coz of AFCON I don't think so coz It can't happen. You mean millions of players will be doing what during the four weeks break? European football and every league has their calendar planned It can't be halted coz of AFCON The only thing that can happen is if it's moved to the summer when all leagues are done Thanks for your concern Rio Ferdinand

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Leagues? Which leagues? So pause the Premier, Ligue 1, La Liga and Serie A to cater to one Continental tourney? Such a ridiculous statement by Rio but hey that's what are accustomed to from him.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya It’s exactly why Sir Alex Ferguson never signed an African player.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya A long standing tradition should now change to accommodate Amorim? Clubs been losing players to Afcon for a long time. It didn't change. Its mustn't change now. Man only lost 3 players ffs. Maz being one he wasn't even using. Sunderland lost more than half the team.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Thank you very much for this Rio. They don't respect African players or the African continent, there's no regard for us whatsoever. That's why our tournament gets pushed around to accommodate other tournaments.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Bro just wants us to see Afcon like we do the Euros. Fair.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya What Rio meant to say is that Man Utd has the smallest squad & couldn’t win games without Amad & Mbeumo (3rd is rarely used) missing the squad, but Sunderland who are missing 6 players are winning or drawing with Man City. The problem at Utd is more than the 2 missing players.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya You’re a fair man Rio.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Or they schedule during the European close season 🤷

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Leagues should break in the UK in winter because it’s cold and dark and I don’t want to go out the house. True fact 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya First AFCON should be every 4 years to take away the fatigue of players having to leave every other. If league could break that would be good too, problem is those leagues have been existing before AFCON was created

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya AFCON is moving to every four years from 2028 onwards, to minimise interference with domestic league football. We shouldn’t alter the Premier League to accommodate it.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Afcon should take place at the same time as every other tournament. It holds African players back and makes them less attractive for clubs to sign

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Amad & Mbeumo were already giving United required momentum,they left 4 AFCON, team won against Newcastle, no complain, then came wolves bottom team,took a point & suddenly D league is suffering, it needs break,Sunderland had 7 players in AFCON but couldn't be beaten by CITY 🙄

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya You talk fucking shite

@GabrielAmooti @rioferdy5 @joelbeya I agree with you 💯

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya 🐐🫵🏽

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya Thanks for lending a voice Rio.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya We have 6 players away unbeaten in 3 not moaning and haven’t spend 250M 🤣 Dry your eyes matey

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya It’s actually nice, now the world can see the impact African players have on their European teams

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya What a load of bollocks.

@rioferdy5 @joelbeya true,it also affects African players’ statistics: players like Drogba or Yaya, who often reached the semi-finals of AFCON, missed league games, played fewer matches, had fewer chances to score, came back more fatigued, and are then judged on stats that don’t reflect this reality.