CAF Postpones 2021 AFCON Tournament Till 2022

By Akinwale Kasali

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has announced the postponement of the 2021 African Cup of Nations tournament scheduled to hold in Cameroon in the Summer of 2021 to 2022.

The postponement became necessary following the Covid-19 Pandemic outbreak ravaging the world, which led to the suspension of all football activities around the world. Some European Leagues resumed a couple of weeks ago to end the 2019/2020 soccer season.

The CAF Executive Committee, on Tuesday, announced the postponement of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations by one year, with continental games to now hold in Cameroon in January 2022.

The decision was reached after the committee met via video-conference to discuss the future of competitions and other related issues amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After consultation with stakeholders and taking into consideration the current global situation, the tournament has been rescheduled for January 2022. The date for the final tournament and the remaining matches of the qualifiers will be communicated in due course,” the football body said in a statement.

CAF also rescheduled the finals of the African Nations Championship 2020, shifting it to January 2021 also in Cameroon.

“The Executive Committee is satisfied with t the Cameroonian authorities for their commitment towards the hosting of the two competitions. Cameroon is ready to host either competition and are within schedule,” CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad said.

The statement also read, “The Total CAF Champions League and Total CAF Confederation Cup, will resume in September with a Final Four (4) format. Semi-Final matches will be played in a single match.

“Due to challenging conditions, the 2020 edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations has been cancelled.

“The 42nd CAF Ordinary General Assembly has been rescheduled for December 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“CAF has allocated an additional USD 16.2 Million to assist Member Associations to mitigate challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each Member Associations will be entitled to USD 300,000.”