Thursday, 17 January 2008, 19:34 GMT
Blatter wants Cup of Nations move
Fifa president Sepp Blatter has told the BBC that the timing of the Africa Cup of Nations must be changed.
Blatter said that by 2016, the biennial tournament must be held in June and July like other major tournaments.
Earlier this week, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) insisted that the competition will continue to kick off in January.
There have been frequent complaints from European clubs who lose key players to the tournament.
"This is a tradition, but one should have now the courage to go into the international calendar and see if it's not possible to deal with it," said Blatter.
"We put a target for 2016 that by that time the international calendar must be definitely in accordance with the interests of everybody."
606: DEBATE
Who do you think will win in Ghana?
Around 40 African players in the English Premier League will be in Ghana for the Nations Cup.
Caf has maintained that the June weather in much of Africa is not ideal for football.
There would also be the problem of a clash with the World Cup every four years, but Blatter suggested that the Nations Cup could be moved to odd years.
E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Africa Nations ready for kick-off
(18 Jan 08 |
Africa Cup of Nations
)
Early start for 2010 Nations Cup
(17 Jan 08 |
Africa Cup of Nations
)
No change to Nations Cup timing
(15 Jan 08 |
Africa Cup of Nations
)
Clubs set for African Nations Cup
(01 Jan 08 |
Africa Cup of Nations
)
RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Group-by-group team guides
World Service programmes and schedules
1Xtra Cup of Nations
Africa Cup of Nations
CAF
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Sport Homepage
|
Football
|
World Cup 2010
|
Formula 1
|
Olympics
|
Vancouver 2010
|
Cricket
|
Rugby Union
|
Rugby League
|
Tennis
|
Golf
|
Athletics
|
Cycling
|
Motorbikes
|
Boxing
|
Snooker
|
Horse Racing
|
Disability Sport
|
Other sport...
|
Sports Personality
|
TV/Radio Schedule
|
Sport Academy
|
Fun and Games
|
Inside Sport
|
Northern Ireland
|
Scotland
|
Wales
Football Contents:
World Cup 2010
|
My Club
|
Gossip
|
Premier League
|
Championship
|
League One
|
League Two
|
Non League
|
FA Cup
|
League Cup
|
Scottish Premier
|
Scottish League
|
Scottish Cups
|
Welsh
|
Irish
|
Europe
|
African
Women
|
Football Focus
|
Match of the Day
|
Final Score
|
World Football
|
Skills
|
Laws & Equipment
|
Get Involved
|
Your Game
^ Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage | Feedback | Help | ©