The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) is likely to be called off due to the high rise of the Omicron Covid 19 variant in Africa. Less than a month remains until the tournament’s first game is due to kick off in Cameroon, but reports suggest the tournament could be cancelled amid concerns from national team coaches.
CAF Considering Moving AFCON 2021 Due Omicron
Several Premier League teams had been due to losing players for the duration of the tournament, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealing talks had been taking place intending to delay the release of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita. Now, after a CAF meeting on Wednesday, it’s expected the competition is likely to be postponed indefinitely, as first reported by El Balad’s Ismael Mahmoud in Egypt.
AFCON had already been pushed back due to the pandemic, with the tournament initially scheduled for the summer of 2020 due to coronavirus. Around 40 Premier League players had been expected to join up with their national sides after the Boxing Day fixtures, though some clubs had been making efforts to delay the release.
However, top-flight bosses are now set to be handed a reprieve.
A statement reveals that all players going for the tournament if it will held must undergo a quarantine on their return to the United Kingdom, which would therefore deprive the clubs of their players for a more extended period. The report adds that “the country [England] is currently affected by a significant wave of Covid cases.” Liverpool is not the only club to lose players, as Chelsea is set to lose Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech.