How anoda mid-season Afcon fit affect players, clubs, odas

As di top football clubs for di world dey arrange to miss some of dia key players wey dey go di 2023 African Cup of Nations (Afcon), di everlasting mata of 'club versus kontri' still make sense?

Stars like Mohamed Salah, Victor Osimhen and Achraf Hakimi go enta Ivory Coast for di top football event for Africa wey go start from 13 January and go finish by 11 February.

Even though e match wit wen some European leagues dey take winter breaks, clubs go still need to go some weeks witout dia first team players.

BBC Sport Africa go torchlight how anoda mid-season Afcon fit affect players, clubs, managers and fans.

Players dey face wahala?

Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka dey prepare for im second Afcon wit Nigeria afta im feature for di one wey shele for Cameroon for early 2022.

E tell BBC Sports Africa say, "I go always wan rep my kontri for big stage. Na honour to fit wear di green and white shirt so na sometin I gatz do. Na dream come true because afta watching legends of Afcons for years, now you dey part of di team. I dey look forward to am wella. I be pikin wey dey play for street for Nigeria and now I dey rep Super Eagles for Afcon."

Onyeka don turn regular for Brenford starting XI dis season including oda fellow Africans like Bryan Mbeumo from Cameroon and Yoane Wissa from DR Congo.

Mbeumo wey be striker no go play for Afcon sake of injury and di three players go be ogbonge loss for di Premier League Club next month.

Onyeka say di three of dem don sidon to tok about di situation.

Di 25-year-old say, "e no go easy. But I know di team, dem dey strong. Wen pesin leave anoda pesin dey to replace."

Liverpool oga Jurgen Klopp don hala ova di timing of di tournament before but Onyeka say Bees head coach Thomas Frank don dey encouraging and reassuring.

E say, "im dey happy for me to rep my kontri on dis big stage. I dey very happy say e be supportive coach wey dey allow im players go play for Afcon."

But afta di last Afcon wey Nigeria ja for di last 16, to adjust back to Premier League bin dey "quite difficult" for Onyeka.

E say, "wen you go back, di team don settle, dem dey play well. So, to enta into di team again go take time. Mentally, player gatz dey strong cos e no easy to leave your team for four weeks and den come back."

Wen Afcon suppose hold?

For 2017, di Confederation of African Football (Caf) decide say dem go move di finals from dia normal January to February slot to June to July, as di Egypt 2019 edition go be di first to hold for European summer.

But di 2021 finals go back to January and February 2022, partially becos of di weather conditions for Cameroon and becos of di kasala wey di Covid 19 pandemic cause.

Dat switch cause some kasala wey ginger former England striker Ian Wright to chook mouth and defend di tournament.

Jay-Jay Okocha wey win di Nations Cup for Nigeria for 1994 say di timing of Afcon fit affect di players well-well because of di way dia calendars dey full reach.

Okocha tell BBC World Service say, "dem don make am veri hard for African players to play for January or start di season and winter break, veri, veri early."

"If dem fit move di World Cup for December becos of di heat so dat e no go affect di kontris wey dey attend, why dem no fit do di same tin with di Nations Cup and work togeda so e no go affect anybodi?

"I know plenti coaches wey no gree sign African players becos of di January (Afcon) window, but dem go sign Brazilians wey dey go play for Copa America for di summer. E no dey fair."

Conflicted supporters

Ghana, like many of di teams wey go feature for di 2023 Nations Cup, get plenti ogbonge names wey dey play for some of di top clubs for Europe.

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, West Ham Mohammed Kudus and Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew dey among di players wey go comot dia respective Premier League teams to play for Ivory Coast.

Issahaku Abdul-Mumen, wey be di presido of di Ghanian Hammers, wey be West Ham fan club, feel "overwhelmed and sad" by di kasala wey dey happun for im emotions ova di fact say Kudus dey comot east London for middle of season.

Abdul tell BBC Sport Africa say, "witout Kudus, Ghana fit no go far. But Kudus dey play for evri West Ham game now. Wen Kudus join West Ham na one of di best days of my life, E be one of di best exports from Africa.

"I be big fan of Afcon. Afcon dey my bodi. I be African and dis na for us. Na our founding fathers."

E add say, "For Kudus to comot (West Ham) go be veri, veri bad time for us. But I dey try see say we fit cope and we go try hard to see life witout Kudus.

"Na sad time for me as West Ham fan but as Ghana fan I go dey happy."

Di mata wey club managers dey face

If Hammers fans dey worry say dem don lose Kudus, no be only dem.

West Ham oga David Moyes say im side go miss di 23 year old forward wella as e don sweet pipo belle with im all round play.

Moyes say, "E be beta pesin to work with and im goals and assists na tins wey dey tanda on dia own.

"Na huge blow (to lose am) becos e dey score goals and make goals. We gatz find oda ways."

But Kudus national oga, di Black Stars coach, Chris Hughton, tink say di club versus kontri mata na mata wey don pass.

E say coaches around Europe now dey prepare wen dia players dey comot for di competition, and Afcon no be reason not to sign African players again.

Di 65 year old say, "most clubs and head coaches now understand say wen dem sign African player, chance dey say dem go lose am for sometime during di African Cup of Nations. So di mata of club versus kontri don turn old gist. I tink say modern club and modern technical staff accept say e go happun."

Di 2025 edition of Afcon wey go happun for Morocco suppose go back to June and July but dat one go clash with di Fifa expanded 32 team Club World Cup.

As no solution don dey ground, anoda kasala go fit happun with Africa top players again in 18 months time.