Zurich, December 26 (BNA): Clubs will be allowed to postpone the release of players in the African Cup of Nations teams until the week in which the tournament begins after a request from the local leagues is accepted by the Confederation of African Football.
FIFA regulations imposed the release of players on Monday, to extend the time they will miss matches in European competitions such as the English Premier League, which plays during the Christmas and New Year period and throughout the African Cup.
Clubs can now keep players for matches until January 3. The 24-nation Africa Cup kicks off on January 9 at the Olympe Stadium in Yaounde, and the final kicks off on February 6.
FIFA Deputy Secretary-General Matthias Grafstrom on Saturday affirmed the “commitment of solidarity” to the World Leagues Forum and the European Championships.
“CAF has decided that for players who have official club matches between 27 December 2021 and 3 January 2022, the participating member associations concerned should instruct that such players may remain with their clubs to participate in such matches and be released thereafter. The last match during this period,” he wrote. Grafstrom.
The World Leagues Forum called the previous requirement for players to go on international duty as “unreasonable and disproportionate to the many clubs and players still playing at the time” but CAF and FIFA have shown a willingness to respond to these concerns.
“It was assured to FIFA that this decision was taken in a spirit of good faith and solidarity with the affected clubs in recognition of the fact that they, like all members of the football community, have been negatively affected by the onset of the COVID pandemic,” Grafstrom wrote.
“It is also supposed to remain in the spirit of mutual cooperation between CAF and all relevant stakeholders in this regard, including in relation to the release of players and the provision of sports waivers from travel restrictions and quarantine if necessary in the future.”
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