Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse has expressed his frustration ahead of his side's Africa Cup of Nations opening clash against The Gambia on Monday afternoon.
The Lions of Teranga begin their AFCON title defence against The Gambia at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in the capital of the Ivory Coast, Yamoussoukro.
Their opponents are the second lowest-ranked team in the tournament and while many expect it to be an easy game for Senegal, Cisse has revealed he is frustrated at something else before today's match.
The tactician has hit out at the fact that his side's game is scheduled for 14:00 [16:00 in South African time] in the afternoon, as he insists that the hot weather conditions are not conducive to play the match.
"It's difficult to play at 2 pm," Cisse said, according to Sport Le 360.
"From Algiers to Cape Town, from Addis Ababa to Dakar via Congo, it is very hot in Africa..
"It's the AFCON, not the Champions League, it's the African continent, we will have to adapt.
"No doctor in any case would recommend playing at 2 pm."
He added that his team have made efforts to adapt since arriving in Cote d'Ivoire.
The Senegelese boss continued: "We scheduled two training sessions at 2 pm, and I guarantee you that it is very hot to play football."
"I am appealing to CAF to look a little better at the schedules, it is difficult to play at 2 pm."
The Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet appeared less unhappy about the fixture being scheduled during scorching weather.
The Belgian said: "Yes, it's hot, but we can't change anything. It's the same temperature for both teams.
"We trained on Saturday at 2 pm, and yes it is hot, but with the help of the medical staff the team hydrated well.
"Of course we prefer to play at 7 pm when the sun sets, but I'm not the type of coach to complain. You have to play intelligently, not waste chances. I don't fear the heat.
"It will have an influence on the tempo, I will be able to tell you after the match if it was an advantage for us or not."
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