The Abstruse Study Accumulation (TSG) at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 has undergone a above transformation, with new technology and alive methods carrying deeper, added authentic abstruse insights for teams, coaches and CAF’s drillmaster apprenticeship programmes.
For the aboriginal time in the history of the competition, CAF has alien a absolutely integrated, remote-based abstruse assay archetypal during the accumulation phase, accurate by alive abstracts platforms, multi-angle video feeds and committed video analysts.
The about-face marks a absolute move abroad from traditional, chiral advertisement methods appear a modern, collaborative and data-driven approach.
According to CAF TSG Leader Belhassen Malouche, the changes were capital to accumulate clip with the change of the game.
“Football is improving, but additionally the technology and the way matches are analysed,” Malouche said. “If football is evolving, we additionally charge to evolve. This appropriate us to abound and assignment in the aforementioned ambiance as the top all-around football competitions.”
From abandoned ascertainment to aggregate assay In antecedent editions of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, TSG associates formed abundantly in isolation. Analysts were stationed at venues, bearing letters independently, with bound opportunities for accord or barter of ideas. Letters were accounting manually, appropriate diagrams were fatigued by hand, and video affiliation was minimal.
“At times, we were alive in the aforementioned way we had formed 20 years ago,” Malouche explained. “Each able empiric matches alone, advised letters on their own and had actual little befalling to barter with the blow of the group.”
For Morocco 2025, CAF alien a alien assay anatomy during the accumulation stage. TSG associates were organised into four teams of three, anniversary consisting of two abstruse experts and one video analyst. Anniversary accumulation analysed one match, able a abounding abstruse address the afterward day, and again confused on to the abutting fixture.
The anatomy accustomed for circadian allocation meetings, enabling all TSG associates to allotment observations, analyze trends and adjust allegation above matches and groups.
“We now accept absolute exchange,” Malouche said. “The discussions are advantageous in agreement of tactics, trends and logistics. We apperceive what is accident above the accomplished competition, not aloof in one stadium.”
New tools, added acumen At the centre of the transformation is the addition of avant-garde assay technology. Anniversary bout is now analysed application three accompanying feeds: the advertisement camera, a wide-angle appropriate camera capturing the abounding pitch, and alive Opta achievement data.
The wide-angle camera allows analysts to clue the accession and movement of about all outfield players at all times, alms acumen into aggregation shape, agreement and off-ball movement that is not arresting from the advertisement augment alone.
“This camera allows us to see the position of every player, alike those far from the ball,” Malouche said. “It helps us accept how teams attack, avert and organise themselves collectively.”
In parallel, the TSG has admission to alive Opta abstracts and CAF’s Red Zone platform, enabling real-time assay of key achievement indicators such as advancing zones, casual accuracy, acute accomplishments and arresting organisation.
“We are no best alive manually,” Malouche explained. “All phases of the bold are already structured on the platform. The able artlessly adds their abstruse comments, submits the report, and it is anon available.”
Video affiliation and alternate advertisement Another above addition is the abounding affiliation of video assay into TSG reporting. For the aboriginal time, CAF TSG letters include anchored video clips affiliated anon to appropriate observations.
“When we analyse pressing, for example, we don’t aloof call it,” said Malouche. “We include video clips with tracking and action so coaches can see absolutely how it is executed.”
This admission strengthens the believability and account of the reports, accumulation able ascertainment with cold abstracts and beheld evidence. It additionally allows the TSG to validate abstract assessments, such as alone awards, application achievement metrics alongside able judgement.
“We still use the eye of the expert, but now we accept abstracts to affirm it immediately,” Malouche added.
Focus on trends and African football development The added abstruse framework has accustomed the TSG to move above anecdotic bout letters appear trend-based analysis.
Each able is tasked with analysing the four moments of the game: advancing organisation, arresting organisation, advancing alteration and arresting transition, alongside set-pieces and ambition patterns.
Importantly, the TSG now benchmarks African football adjoin all-around trends, anecdotic both strengths and areas for development.
“We are no best analysing blindly,” Malouche said. “We accredit to accepted all-around football trends and analyze them with what we see in Africa. This helps us analyze area we charge to improve.”
These allegation will augment anon into CAF’s apprenticeship apprenticeship programmes. The final TSG address will serve as a abstruse advertence for instructors, ensuring that African coaches are accomplished application abstracts and examples fatigued from African antagonism rather than alien leagues.
“Our cold is not alone to analyse,” Malouche said. “It is to accord accoutrement to coaches, to abate the gap with added football environments and to advance African football at all levels.”