Ƙungiyar Ƙwallon Ƙafa ta Afirka (Caf) ta watsar da shirin gudanar da Gasar Ƙwallon Ƙafa ta Afirka kowace shekara huɗu, tana zaɓar ci gaba da tsarin gargajiya na shekara biyu — sauyin da ya faru a ƙasa da shekara ɗaya bayan sanarwar farko.

Shugaban Caf Patrice Motsepe ya tabbatar da sauyin, yana cewa an yanke shawarar ne don "haɓakawa, kare da inganta" ƙwallon ƙafa na Afirka. Sauyin ya zo bayan tattaunawa da ƙungiyoyin mambobi 54 na Caf aka nemi su zaɓa tsakanin tsarin shekara huɗu da jadawalin shekara biyu na yanzu, inda kwamitin zartarwa ya ƙarshe zaɓi maido da tsarin da ya kasance.

Yadda shirin shekara huɗu ya faro

Motsepe ya bayyana sauyin zuwa zagaye na shekara huɗu dare kafin gasar ƙarshe ta 2025 a Morocco, yana mai jayayya cewa za ta taimaka wajen daidaita kalandar ƙwallon ƙafa ta duniya. Sakatare Janar na Fifa Mattias Grafstrom ya kasance lokacin da aka yi sanarwar, kuma masu sukar sun nuna cewa sauyin ya fi amfanar Fifa fiye da Afirka.

An yanke shawarar farko ne a taron kwamitin zartarwa na Caf a watan Disambar da ya wuce — ba tare da an zaɓa a taron babban taro inda duk ƙasashe mambobi ke da muryarsu ba. Ɗan jarida ɗan ƙasar Aljeriya Maher Mezahi ya gaya wa BBC cewa ya kamata a tattauna shawarwari na wannan girma a fili: "Afcon ita ce motar da Caf ke ta amfani da ita wajen ɗaukar nauyin sauran gasa dinta."

Sydney Mungala na Ƙungiyar Ƙwallon Ƙafa ta Zambiya ya goyi bayan wannan ra'ayi, yana lura cewa sauyin da aka ba da shawara ya zo a matsayin mamaki. "Yanayin gabaɗaya a cikin nahiya shi ne cewa zagaye na shekara biyu ya yi wa nahiyar hidima yadda ya kamata," in ji shi.

Rawar kuɗi

Afcon ita ce babbar hanyar samun kuɗaɗen shiga ta Caf. Bugu na Morocco 2025 ana tsammanin zai samar da dalar Amurka miliyan 192 (fam miliyan 143) — wanda ke wakiltar kashi 66 na jimillar kuɗin Caf daga gasar a duk ɓangarori. An yi hasashen riba miliyan 114 ta dalar Amurka (fam miliyan 85), sama da miliyan 75 (fam miliyan 56) a gasar ta baya a Ivory Coast.

A maimakon Afcon na shekara biyu, Caf ta ba da shawara a kafa Gasar Ƙasashen Afirka kowace shekara da duk ƙungiyoyin 54 za su halarce. Motsepe ya bayyana ta a matsayin "gasar da ta kai ma'aunin duniya kowace shekara," da aka ƙirƙiro domin rage dogaron Caf kan Afcon da kuma gina tsarin kasuwanci mai ɗorewa.

Duk da haka, Africa Super League — wadda aka kaddamar da ita a 2022 da hasashen kuɗaɗen shiga na shekara na dalar Amurka miliyan 200 (fam miliyan 149) — an yi watsi da ita bayan bugawa ɗaya kawai lokacin da yarjejeniyoyin kasuwanci suka gaza. Motsepe ya yarda cewa abokan hulɗa ba su cika alkawuransu ba, wanda ya jefa ƙyama kan ko wata gasar madadin za ta iya cike gurbin Afcon na kuɗi.

Mungala ya jaddada muhimmancin rabe-raben Caf a matakin ƙasa: "Muna da ƙungiyoyin ƙasa na Zambiya 11 kuma biyu kawai suna samun ɗan tallafin gwamnati. Sauran suna dogaro da ajiyar kuɗin ƙungiyar."

Rawar Fifa a cikin shawarar

Shugaban Fifa Gianni Infantino shi ne ya fara gabatar da ra'ayin Afcon na shekara huɗu a fili a watan Fabrairun 2020. Ko da yake Motsepe ya ƙi shawara a farko bayan ya karɓi ragamar mulki, alaƙarsu ta ci gaba da kasancewa ta kut-da-kut — wadda ta ƙarfafu wani ɓangare sakamakon ƙoƙarin Infantino na fadada Gasar Ƙwallon Ƙafa ta Duniya ta Fifa zuwa ƙungiyoyi 48 da kara wakilcin Afirka.

Amma matsayin Infantino ya shiga haɗari tun lokacin da aka yi fitsarin shirin sa na sayar da hannun jarin gasar Fifa a watan Yuli. Ya halarci taron shirin Caf a Cape Verde a wannan wata, wanda gabaɗaya ake ganin shi ne ƙoƙari na ɗinke goyon bayansa kafin kamfen dinsa na sake zaɓe.

Mezahi ya gaya wa BBC cewa yanayin ya nuna musayar siyasa: "Ya zo Cape Verde don neman goyon baya. Kuma baki ɗaya, Afirka ta ba shi wannan goyon baya. Amma ina tsammanin sun yi hakan a matsayin ciniki — sun ba shi goyon baya ne a musayar wasu rangwame. Kuma ina tsammanin babban rangwamen shi ne mayar da Gasar Ƙwallon Ƙafa ta Afirka zuwa zagaye na shekara biyu."

Me ke jiran Afcon

An shirya gudanar da Afcon 2027 a Kenya, Tanzania, da Uganda daga 19 ga Yuni zuwa 17 ga Yuli. Motsepe ya riga ya yi kira ga masu shirya taron da su tunkari lamarin da gaggawa don tabbatar da cewa filayen wasa da ababen more rayuwa sun kasance a shirye a lokaci mai kyau.

Afcon 2028 za ta biyo baya shekara ɗaya kawai bayan haka — wani abu na musamman a jadawali wanda ya samo asali ne daga tsare-tsaren Caf don tsarin shekara huɗu da aka watsar yanzu. An tsara bugayen da suke zuwa a 2031 da 2033 domin gujewa rikici da Gasar Ƙwallon Ƙafa ta Duniya ta Fifa. Ba a sanar da ƙasar mai masaukin baki ta 2028 ba tukuna.

Gasar Ƙasashen Afirka, a halin yanzu, ana tsare-tsaren farawa a watan Satumbar 2029, ko da yake kalaman Motsepe na ƙarshe sun nuna za a iya gudanar da ita kowace shekara biyu maimakon kowace shekara kamar yadda aka sanar a farko. Yadda gasar za ta yi rayuwa tare da shekaru na Afcon daga 2031 zuwa gaba har yanzu ba a warware shi ba.

Sauyin Caf na komawa baya ya kare al'adar soka mafi tsarki a nahiyar — amma ƙalubalen gina tsarin kuɗi wanda da gaske yake hidimar ƙwallon ƙafa ta Afirka, maimakon kawai daidaita buƙatun wasan duniya, ya ci gaba da kasancewa mai gaggawa fiye da kowane lokaci.