Despite European pressure from FIFA, Motsepe insists AFCON will start in Cameroon on January 9, 2022

Despite enormous pressure from European clubs and the world soccer governing body, FIFA, the African Football Confederation (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, confirmed yesterday that the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations will begin on January 9, 2022 as it was. provided.

After a meeting with the Cameroonian government in Yaoundé, Mostepe praised the hosts for their efforts to ensure that the necessary facilities are in place for a safe and entertaining African Cup of Nations, and said the hosts have shown that the Africans they can host major international competitions. despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said: “My message when we finish a meeting with the 54 presidents of African football in Cairo is that we will all meet in a few weeks in Cameroon because the competition is for the people of Cameroon and the people of Africa.

“I am very proud and very excited about the work that has been done. You can see a lot of commitment and focus to ensure that some of those issues being rolled out … good progress is being made in a few days.

“My message to the world and to Africa is that we, together with the government of Cameroon, will embrace the best of African football, the best of African hospitality and the best of the continent. It is going to be a successful competition ”.

He urged that “everyone be here on January 7th. We must believe in ourselves, in our people. We have to be more optimistic.

“All over the world, there are competitions that have problems, but they still continue. Africans must believe in Africa because we have the ability to host successful competition. ”

There was intense pressure from European clubs on CAF to move the competition forward citing the generalization of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus pandemic.

Although CAF was initially adamant that the competition would go ahead as planned, Newslodge learned yesterday that there was pressure from within and outside the continent on the body to suspend it “to stop the spread of the virus.”

Last week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino cast new doubts on the tournament being held as scheduled and called for a postponement.

According to an iNews report, Infantino’s first priority is the Club World Cup, which will begin on February 3, 2022 and coincide with the conclusion of AFCON.

Those for the AFCON to run as scheduled argue that Africa does not have the same rate of spread of COVID-19 as Europe and other parts of the world, adding that the European Championship was held amid the virus in the summer. .

A CAF official, who requested anonymity, told the Cameroonian press yesterday that the African Cup of Nations cannot be postponed in favor of the Club World Cup, arguing that the fate of Africa cannot depend on foreign competitions.