The Africa Cup is in limbo. RMC Sports reports that the African Football Association (CAF) is currently discussing continuing the tournament, which should start in Cameroon in early January. The current corona situation with the outbreak of the omikron variant is the main reason for possibly ending the Africa Cup.
Actually, this edition of the Africa Cup should have been completed last summer. Due to the weather conditions, the CAF decided to bring the tournament forward six months to the beginning of 2021. The consequences of the corona pandemic already made the CAF decide in the summer of 2020 to move the Africa Cup again. Now the question is whether the tournament can actually start on January 9.
Within the CAF there would now be talk about continuing the tournament, something that according to RMC Sports has already been cautioned by several national coaches in recent weeks. The current corona situation with the outbreak of the omikron variant creates ‘organizational difficulties’. However, several clubs would now also have expressed their displeasure. For mainly British clubs, the Africa Cup is a thorn in the side, as players also have to be quarantined after their return from Cameroon and therefore may be missing for more than a month. Moreover, the current corona situation in the United Kingdom itself is not exactly rosy.
If the Africa Cup actually does not take place, it would not be disadvantageous for Ajax and PSV. Both Sébastien Haller and Ibrahim Sangaré will normally be part of Ivory Coast’s roster for the tournament. Ajax may also have to give up André Onana (Cameroon), Mohammed Kudus (Ghana) and Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco), although the latter was not called up for the Moroccan national team in recent international matches. The Africa Cup starts on January 9 and ends on February 6.