Soccer Football - Africa Cup of Nations 2019 - Final - Senegal v Algeria - Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt - July 19, 2019 Algeria's Aissa Mandi in action with Senegal's Badou N'Diaye REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo
Dec 27 (Reuters) - The decision to stage the Africa Cup of Nations every four years is a positive step by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that will give the tournament greater value, Algeria defender Aissa Mandi has said.
"Organising the competition every four years is a good thing. It's better than every two years," Mandi told a press conference on Saturday, a day before Algeria's Group E clash with Burkina Faso.
"It will be like all the major continental tournaments such as the Euros, and that makes sense and is good for African football overall," he added.
CAF's decision to stage AFCON every four years from 2029 on the eve of the 2025 tournament in Morocco sparked widespread debate, with many critics saying it shows a lack of respect for the continent's tradition of holding the tournament every two years since 1957.
Mali coach Tom Saintfiet was extremely critical, blaming world football governing body FIFA for the switch.
"Since 1957, Africa has organisedthe Cup every two years, now they say every four. It's not fair. Africa must be respected," he said.
Algeria opened their campaign with a 3-0 win over Sudan to top the group on three points, ahead of Burkina Faso on goal difference after they came from behind late on to beat Equatorial Guinea 2-1.
(Reporting by Ahmad El Ghannam in CairoEditing by Christian Radnedge)
