The Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) could be canceled due to the emergence of the Omicron variant, according to reports by RMC sport.
CAN 2022 is set to start in January next year in Cameroun, lasting until February, with several players from Europe expected to leave their clubs mid-season to join the competition.
RMC sport said the African confederation of Football (CAF) could decide the cancellation of the cup as the Omicron variant continues to ravage the continent.
The emergence of the highly contagious variant Omicron in the African continent raised doubts about the safety of spectators and football players.
The tournament was scheduled to take place in June and July this year, but was postponed to early 2022 due to “adverse weather conditions” during the summer months, according to CAF.
The committee’s tournament organizing decided to go further with organizing the African competition in October, as it urged the organizing country, Cameroun, to grant “urgent attention” to health measures, to assure the safety of the audience and the players during the competition.
On the other hand, Europe’s top clubs are threatening not to release players for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon over fears surrounding its Covid-19 health protocol.
The European Club Association, which represents leading clubs across the continent, made its concerns known to a letter sent to FIFA, reported AFP.
“With regards to applicable protocols, as far as we are aware, CAF (the Confederation of African football) has not yet made available a suitable medical and operational protocol for the AFCON tournament, in the absence of which clubs will not be able to release players for the tournament,” said the ECA told football’s world governing body.
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