Tournament organisers for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) have insisted that the competition will go on despite the outbreak of COVID-19. The tournament is said to hold in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, but there are conflicting reports about whether it will be called off.
An earlier report by French outlet, RMC Sport had claimed that the Central African Federation could be forced to postpone the tournament.
Italian top site, La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy claim that there is no risk of calling off the competition.
However, Marca is reporting that the organisers have remained adamant that the binary football event will still happen. Sixteen Premier League clubs could see players called up by their national teams for the tournament with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool among those facing the prospect of losing key members of their squads.
CAF has denied the legitimacy of a cancellation report that emanated from France but the pressure is mounting following a surge in coronavirus cases, coupled with lingering doubts over host nation Cameroon’s ability to be ready in time.
A letter from the European Clubs Association, circulated on social media this morning and dated 10 December, says that “clubs will be entirely within their rights not to release any player in relation to whom travel restrictions or mandatory quarantine applies” and called the tournament’s schedule “unmanageable.”
It continues: “As you know, the pandemic and its associated implications raise three fundamental concerns for clubs when it comes to the release of players to national teams: first and foremost, the clubs’ duty to ensure every player’s wellbeing is properly protected; second, that clubs are not forced to be without players for club competition matches; third, that all players resume their activities with their clubs following national duty in a timely fashion, as per the applicable rules.”
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