Tension As World Leagues Forum Sends Urgent Message to FIFA and CAF Over AFCON 2022

• AFCON 2022 is already causing panic among foreign clubs as African footballers would be engaged in the continental showpiece
• The World Leagues Forum has sent a message to FIFA and CAF saying that players won’t be released until January 2
• Existing rule states that players must be available for national duty about two weeks from the start of a major tournament

A body which represents domestic league competitions, the World Leagues Forum, has written to the world’s football governing body (FIFA) and Confederation of African Football (CAF) threatening to delay release of players for AFCON.

90min are reporting that players who will be participating in the African showpiece will not be released until January 2.

The tournament, billed to hold in Cameroon, is already a major concern for clubs especially in the Premier League, as it comes at a time the Omicron variant of the pandemic is spreading like wildfire.

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AFCON starts on January 9 and FIFA rule stated that players must be available for national duty about two weeks from the start of a major tournament.

That means players should be available from December 27, and for those domestic leagues without a winter break, it means potentially losing key players at a particularly busy time.

English club Liverpool will miss the services of Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane for six weeks in total should either Egypt, Senegal, or both, reach the final, instead of just four.

UK outlet The Athletic writes that a letter from WLF general secretary Jerome Perlemuter argues that FIFA’s rules in this particular case are ‘unreasonable and disproportionate’.

The statement added that the WFL will consider any FIFA sanctions issued to clubs as a result of refusing to release players so early to be ‘abusive, null and void’.

Ghana set for AFCON 2022

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Meanwhile, Coach Milovan Rajevac and his team, the Black Stars will depart Ghana for Doha on Friday to begin their camping ahead of the AFCON tournament in January.

The five players named in the squad that ply their trade in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) will leave with the Serbian coach and the technical team on Friday.

They will joined in Qatar by the remaining 25 foreign based players who will be cleared for travel and released by their club on December 23 and 24.

Nigeria continues search for foreign coach

Sports Brief earlier reported that the president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has disclosed that the football house is still in desperate search for a foreign coach for the Super Eagles.

Pinnick has not ruled out the possibility of an expatriate leading Nigeria to the AFCON tournament which kicks off on January 9.

Gernot Rohr was sacked from his position as coach of the team after NFF officials claim the Franco-German was ousted to avert a ‘disaster waiting to happen.’