2021 AFCON moved to January over unfavorable weather
Mus’ab Sulaimon
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations will now be held on 9th January as against June which was in the initial plan after the date was postponed, hosts Cameroon have announced.
The tournament was scheduled to take place in June and July but was changed because of the “unfavourable” weather in the country at that time of year.
It means a number of Premier League clubs could be without first-team players at a crucial stage of the season.
The 2019 tournament in Egypt was the first one to be held in the summer.
The change back to a January start means that the tournament will not clash with the expanded Club World Cup, being held in China in June 2021.
Following a meeting on Wednesday with representatives from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), led by president Ahmad Ahmad, the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) tweeted: “It [2021 Africa Cup of Nations] will be played in Cameroon from 9 January to 6 February, 2021. Date changed for weather reasons at Cameroon’s request.”
CAF’s deputy general secretary Tony Baffoe stated that: “We have reviewed the period of the competition as requested by the Cameroonian party due to unfavourable climatic conditions during the period initially slated. After listening to the various arguments and viewpoints – and in particular from the Cameroonian meteorological authorities, the coaches and players – the representatives of the AFCON organising committee, which received the mandate from CAF Executive Committee to take the decision, has granted the request of the Cameroonian FA.
“A detailed reported shall be presented to the members of the Executive Committee during it’s next executive session on 6 February, 2019.”
Cameroon had been scheduled to host the 2019 Cup of Nations, but were stripped of that honour in November 2018 which was later given to Egypt. At the time, CAF said the decision had been made because of delay in the progress of Cameroon’s preparations towards the tournament.
A month later, CAF announced that Cameroon had agreed to host the 2021 edition
