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FIFA Club World Cup could 'kill' the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) - Claude LeRoy

Egypt 2019 displayed real promise from a sporting and marketing perspective with an extended version played out in June-July instead of the traditional January period.

While the club-versus-country row from European club's reluctant to release their star African players becoming less of an issue - the 1998 AFCON winner believes a new stumbling block lies ahead.

FIFA confirmed the Club World Cup tournament will be expanded from seven teams to 24 and be played every four years during the same period as the African spectacle.

Scroll through the gallery to see the African superstars nominated for the 2019 Ballon d'Or

Scroll through the gallery to see the 2019 nominee
Scroll through the gallery to see the 2019 nominees for the Ballon d'Or
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Dusan Tadic
Dusan Tadic
Trent Alexander Arnold
Trent Alexander Arnold
Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane
Frenkie de Jong
Frenkie de Jong
Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris
Marc Andre Ter stegen
Marc Andre Ter stegen
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
Alisson Becker
Alisson Becker
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema
Giorginio Wijnaldum
Giorginio Wijnaldum
Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe
Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero
Donny van de Beek
Donny van de Beek
Son Hueng-Min
Son Hueng-Min
Marquinhos
Marquinhos
Joao Felix
Joao Felix
Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard
Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino
Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling
Bernado Silva
Bernado Silva
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski
Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez
Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann
Kevin de Bruyne
Kevin de Bruyne
Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah
Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt

And Le Roy, one of the most respected coaches in African football, with a record nine appearances at the continental showpiece has expressed his dismay at the latest decision by the world football governing body.

"Fifa's decision that June is a good time to host the Club World Cup means they are killing the Nations Cup," LeRoy told BBC Sport Africa.

"When they decided to make a world championship of clubs with 24 teams at the same time as the Africa Cup of Nations, it's terrible for the projection of this beautiful competition - the Nations Cup."

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