Former Chipolopolo midfielder Noah Chivuta has backed a decision to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) every four years from a biennial tournament.

In 2020 FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed the adjustment. The AfCON tournament has been staged every two years for the last 68 years.

But last week, CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe announced the changes to the soccer event, starting with the 2028 edition.

Critics argue that CAF has bowed to pressure from FIFA and European clubs, who have long complained that AfCON disrupts domestic league schedules.

Chivuta, who represented Zambia at three AfCON tournaments between 2010 and 2013, says the changes should be embraced.

Two Year Gap Close For Host Nations.

Speaking to BolaNews, Chivuta said extending the interval between tournaments would give host nations more time to adequately prepare.

“In some way the two-year gap was a bit too close for some host countries to prepare to host a big tournament like the AfCON,” he said.

Chivuta also commented on CAF’s introduction of the African Nations League.

The new annual competition, which mirrors the UEFA Nations League, will involve all 54 CAF member associations.

Africa will have four regional zones, with six teams in North Africa and 16 teams each in the remaining three regions. Zonal winners progress to a final stage to determine the overall champion.

According to Chivuta, the competition will help raise competitiveness across the continent.

“This tournament will help teams to be more competitive. There will be more games for countries to have,” he said.

He added that the expanded calendar would also allow African players to earn more international caps, similar to their European counterparts.

“With this setup, we will end up like in Europe, where it will be easy for a player to reach, let’s say, 100 caps because there are a lot of games” he said.

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