After the Euro 2020 and the Copa America 2020, we CAN 2021 be the third football tournament is major to be shifted due to the pandemic of sars coronavirus ? Like all its counterparts, the Confederation of african football (CAF) has suspended all matches in the month of march. But two months later, while the disease has not yet known its peak in Africa, according to experts, the situation becomes more complex for the football african realities differ from those of Europe. If several figures of the football african plead for a ” carry-over “, others refuse to “touch it” by lack of ” niche-free “.
Read also Coronavirus : the african sport reacts
visibility
The edition of cameroon to the Africa Cup of nations, will she be cursed until the end ? Originally scheduled for 2019 but resold to Egypt because of delays in the infrastructure work, the CAN in Cameroon has been re-scheduled from January 9 to February 6, 2021.
But, like the Euro or the Copa America, moved a year ago and repositioned in the summer of 2021, the global health crisis, which may in turn upset again the calendar CAN. Many have kept in memory the last outbreak of Ebola that had hatched in West Africa in march 2014 and put a stop to the organization of the CAN 2015. The FCA chose not to suspend matches, and it was necessary to arrange all of the meetings, move some of them, etc
In an interview with Deutsche Welle, the president of CAF, Ahmad Ahmad, however, has time delay on the subject, recalling, last Friday, that “the priority of priorities” is to the protection of the players and the public.
” in the Face of such a situation, I believe that all of the stakeholders in the organization of these competitions will come together later to discuss and reconcile so that we can together find a way to resume “, he said.
as a working group of the Fifa was created on 18 march, “to agree a co-ordinated approach” with the Confederations “address the consequences of the pandemic” on the future calendar of international matches.
Ahmad Ahmad has pointed out the difference in context, pointing out that it is not easy to draw conclusions when so few tests have been carried out. “As we see the number of tests that have been conducted in these countries, it is always alarming, because we lack of visibility in the management of this pandemic “, has further indicated the general secretariat of CAF in this interview to the national media German.
Read also Africa Cup of Nations : an edition every four years ?
The card caution
as the boss of the FCA, several major figures of the football african advocate already for a deferral, like Samuel Eto’o. ” The most important thing is health, and instances of african football have understood this. I do not see my eldest, the big brother, Ahmad [Ahmad, president of the Confederation of african football, editor’s NOTE] risking the health of the lovers of the round ball for a CAN “, said the ex-captain of the indomitable Lions on France 24, the end of April. “The most important thing is that it is out of danger. We’ll have all the time to organize this CAN “, he added.
“I know that the CAN is important, and it is for the country to organize it, but I think the next one should be cancelled or postponed,” she said, two days later, the Algerian Adlène Guedioura, African champion 2019, on the BBC.
The african continent is so far relatively spared by the pandemic, which has officially less than 2 500 people dead. But the evidence suggesting that this balance is strongly under-estimated.
A calendar is difficult to hold for the african players
beyond the threat of the Covid-19, the impossibility of completing the prerequisites for the tournament is also of concern to african leaders while there are still four days left to play. “If you have trouble organizing the qualifiers until September, it would be difficult to hold a final phase in January next year,” wrote Augustin Senghor, president of senegalese federation, in an internal newsletter of the FCA in early may.
” The CAN will not be able to play in January. Our borders are closed and no inspection mission of the FCA is not possible in this context “, even said to the AFP an official of the federation of cameroonian football, under the cover of anonymity.
most countries have cancelled their championships. The senegalese football Federation (FSF) has postponed next November, the resumption of the football championships. In Algeria, the leader of the championship, the CR Belouizdad, calls for the final stop of the season 2019-2020 in the name of the precautionary principle. “Football is a team sport, and physical contact is established between partners and opponents. How to organize possible travel of players and staffs, even reduced to a minimum ? How to ensure the transportation, accommodation, catering ? ” asks Charaf Eddine Amara, the president of the CR Belouizdad, in a press release issued Saturday. The question has not yet been decided, as fears of match-fixing persist.
Read also the Face of coronavirus, the football algerian plan recovery
while waiting for a decision on the fate of the CAN of 2021, which could occur at the next meeting of the executive committee of the CAF, according to a source close to the proceedings, many voices defend stubbornly maintaining it.
” Personally, I am not in favour of the report “, said on RFI, the international cameroonian Stephane Bahoken. “It really is a puzzle. […] But as long as it plays at home, I’m happy ! “
“Out of the question to touch it,” said to AFP a leader of the football africa under the cover of anonymity. “Between the Euro, the official journal of Tokyo and other competitions carried over in 2021, there are no more slots free. Even a report in march, is complicated, because the european clubs will never want to let go of the players. “
also Read Football : confusion around the organisation of the CAN
No financial losses
The judgment of the championships raises the question of the financial implications. But it seems that, for the moment, there is little impact on clubs in africa. In fact, they belong more often to private actors, their funding often comes from own funds. About the benefits, they only come in the end of competition. The clubs only win the money if they reach the semi-final minimum. A recent article of Deutsche Welle reveals that ” the bonus of qualification for the phase of groups of the League of african champions between 2017 and 2020 was $ 550,000. During this time, the winner, the most recent in 2019, the Hope of Tunis, has pocketed a sum of $ 2.5 million – a little less than a half-million dollars less compared to what the european teams gather for a victory in the group stage in the UEFA Champions League. “Concrete example, their counterpart of Liverpool would have pocketed a total of 74,35 million euros during their run to the title in 2019.
beyond The clubs and the organisers of the championship, this is the situation of the players individually, which is of concern to the instances management of the continent. The judgment of the competitions is a synonym for work stoppage for the players. And many of them are involved also to help the people organizing the distributions of donations and other.
Read also the champions League of Africa : Espérance sportive de Tunis to keep the trophy
writing will advise you
in the Face of the coronavirus, the football algerian plans to resume Football : confusion around the organisation of the CAN champions League Africa : Espérance sportive de Tunis to keep the trophy Africa Cup of Nations : an edition every four years ? Coronavirus : the african sport reacts Coronavirus in Africa : the Cameroon takes radical measures
