Fifa says it is still discussing the prospect of postponing the African Cup of Nations

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has revealed that the world football governing body is still consulting with the organisers of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and there is an outside chance they could postpone the tournament until September.

Already postponed twice, the 2022 African Nations Cup is due to kick off in Cameroon on January 6 but there is fervent opposition to the tournament holding from Europe. Big European clubsides, especially those in the English Premier League are opposed to having to release some of their best stars at a crucial period of the season and are hoping Fifa intervenes.

Latching on to the spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the clubs are saying not only will they lose players for a month but they will also face the prospect of them being in isolation for about another two weeks upon their return. Last week, it was reported that the Confederation of African Football (Caf) was looking to cancel the competition but this rumour has been quickly quashed.

Caf dismissed the report and insisted that Cameroon 2021 would proceed as planned. However, yesterday, Mr Infantino, speaking at the Fifa Global Summit, noted that the Nations Cup is an important tournament but playing it in January has become a problem, so they are discussing the possibility of having it at a time more convenient for the major stakeholders.

Mr Infantino said: “The African Cup is a competition which is played every two years and we understand the importance of this cup. Until a few years ago, nobody cared that it was played in winter but now, it has become a problem because many African players play in big clubs, which lose them at the height of the season.

“If we can reschedule the calendar and make sure an African Nations Cup is played in the big international window in September, rather than January or February, we would have solved a problem for so many leagues that have African players. I don’t like to talk about wars or enemies but it is important to seek the best solution together.”

Nigeria's Super Eagles are among the 24 teams that are due to participate in Cameroon 2021. Many European teams are stepping up the pressure on Fifa to get the tournament postponed until the summer end-of-season break.