Hakimi, Salah, Osimhen: the AFCON empties the European championships

This overlap in the calendar is the direct consequence of an international traffic jam: initially scheduled for last summer, the competition has been postponed to the winter to make way for the new format of the Club World Cup. As a result, Ligue 1 finds itself on the front line of this "talent drain" with 49 players concerned. The symbol of this exodus is Achraf Hakimi, recently crowned African Player of the Year, who is leaving PSG to guide a Moroccan team that is considered a bogey team. Beyond the home advantage, the Atlas Lions have a squad studded with Liga stars, from Ez Abde to Brahim Díaz via Ilias Akhomach.

If France is suffering, it is in England that the impact is the most spectacular for one club in particular: Sunderland. The current 8th in the Premier League is literally stripped, losing six key elements at once, including the Tunisian Talbi and several Congolese and Senegalese internationals. In Spain, Betis Seville, Villarreal or Rayo Vallecano are also seeing their ranks thin out, with players like Pape Gueye or Pathé Ciss leaving.

In the midst of this logistical ballet, the spotlight will be on the superstars of the continent. Mohamed Salah has left Liverpool in a tense climate, his future with the Reds being unclear due to difficult relations with his coach Arne Slot. For his part, Victor Osimhen, definitively transferred to Galatasaray for 75 million euros, will be the spearhead of Nigeria. In contrast to these armadas, four selections, including the Comoros, Morocco’s opponent for the opening match this Sunday in Rabat, are fielding no players from the major European championships, betting everything on cohesion rather than the pedigree of the clubs.