Opinion — AFCON’s fossil fuel affiliation will further damage Africa

As the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in the Ivory Coast, yet another tournament will ultimately serve to fill the pockets of those already destroying the continent.

While the self-confessed obsessed (like myself) will happily take all the football we can get, at times there is a bigger picture to consider beyond sporting merit.

Though I’ve no personal connection to the Africa Cup of Nations — the biennial tournament which pits the continent’s best teams against each other — it has always been regarded as a staple of international football steeped in rich heritage.

Following the mainstream media in the UK, the focal point of interest centres on which players are jetting off from the Premier League to partake in the contest, and what shape their respective clubs will be left in over the coming weeks.

Prolific talisman Mohammed Salah vanishing for six weeks is always a major cause for trepidation among Liverpool fans, for instance. Pep Guardiola is waiting menacingly in the wings.

As teams amass for the commencement of AFCON in the Ivory Coast this weekend, a topic that is sparsely considered, however, is exactly who…