Gianni Infantino, FIFA president says the world football body is consulting with CAF on the possibility of moving AFCON to summer
By Kehinde Okeowo
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has weighed in on the controversial topic of whether to continue hosting the African Cup of Nations in January or move it to September to stop the incessant clashes between clubs and countries.
The continent’s biggest football fiesta, which is scheduled to kick off on January 6, 2022, has met stiff opposition from European clubs, as they have argued the period is key to clubs avoiding relegation or even winning the league.
The English Premier League is the most vocal critic of AFCON, as the clubs have frowned at releasing some of their best stars at that crucial period of the season, and called for the postponement of the tournament.
For instance, club like Leicester are likely to lose Kelechi Iheanacho, Wilfred Ndidi, and Ademola Lookman to Nigeria, while Ghana are likely to call up Daniel Amartey. Watford too could lose William Troost-Ekong.
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Other Premier League clubs such as Liverpool could potentially lose star players like Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah for a month, while Manchester City is likely to be without Riyad Mahrez, Arsenal too will lose Thomas Partey and Nicholas Pepe, just to mention a few.
Another factor mitigating against the hosting of 2021 AFCON is the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 all over the globe, a situation that has twice led to the cancellation of the tournament.
While a report from France last week suggested that the CAF is considering canceling the competition, they have quickly dismissed the report, insisting the competition will go ahead.
But president Infantino, at the FIFA Global Summit on Monday, weighed into the matter saying there was no controversy when the tournament was being held during winter.
He also said though AFCON is important to the African continent, there is a need to harmonize the date of the commencement of the tournament to forestall clashes between countries and clubs.
He said, “The African Cup is a competition which is played every two years; we understand the importance of this Cup.
“Until a few years ago, nobody cared that it was played in winter. Now, it has become a problem because many African players play in big clubs, which lose them in a highlight of the season.”
Infantino suggested the postponement of the soccer fiesta from January to September and said that they are currently consulting with CAF on the matter.
“If we can reschedule the calendar and make sure an African Nations Cup is played in the big international window in September, rather than January or February, we would have solved a problem for so many leagues that have African players.
“It is part of the process we are talking about. I don’t like to talk about wars or enemies, but about trial. It is important to seek the best solution together.”
The Super Eagles are among the 24 teams that are expected to participate in the tournament in Cameroon and they have won the championship on three previous occasions.
The postponement of AFCON may be a blessing in disguise for Nigeria, as their top stricker, Victor Osimhen, could be back to full fitness before the competition.