African football is dying under five World Cup slots – Patrice Beaumelle fires FIFA

Head coach of the Ivory Coast national team, Patrice Beaumelle has berated world football governing body, FIFA over the limited slots for the continent.

Africa is only allowed five places at the FIFA World Cup which Beaumelle describes as a factor “killing African Football.”

“It is a shame because strong teams like mine will stay at home,” Frenchman Beaumelle said.

“I have been in Africa since 2008 and I have participated in many World Cup qualifiers. I want to speak to Fifa because when you see that we have 54 federations and only five can go to a World Cup it is a disaster.

“I am not criticising other continents. But they (Fifa) are killing African football.

“It is a shame to have big players who are the pride of European championships and now they will not go to a World Cup.”

“Cameroon qualified to the play-off, but it is not guaranteed [to go] to the World Cup,” Beaumelle added.

“African teams are exhausted before they arrive at a World Cup because those qualifiers are exhausting us.

“Five countries from 54 is not even 9%. It is a shame. Even if my team had won I would still speak out about this situation.”

Ivory Coast, one of the giants in African football, will miss the 2022 trip to the next FIFA World Cup in Qatar after losing 1-0 on Tuesday to Cameroon in the final group game.

Ten countries will drawn for the playoffs to determine which countries represent the continent in Qatar.

Africa’s 54 participants are allowed only five places whilst Europe’s 55 competitors are given 13 guaranteed slots with South America on four from 10 participants of the 32-team tournament.

Africa will however be smiling in the 2026 World Cup to be jointly held in Canada, Mexico and the United States as FIFA seeks to expand the number of countries to 48. Africa will be guaranteed nine spots at the expanded tournament.

Ivory Coast who played at the 2006 and the 2014 World Cups will be missing the tournament for the second straight time after failing to make the 2018 edition in Russia.

Africa is still awaiting its first-ever semi-finalist at the World Cup, after Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) were all knocked out in the last eight.