AFCON 2021: Samuel Eto’o reveals position on cancelling tournament in January

Samuel Eto’o, President of the Cameroon Football Federation, has insisted the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, will surely go ahead amid concerns of cancelling the tournament.

The 2021 AFCON will take place in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6 2022.

Recall that the AFCON 2021 was originally billed to take place between June and July 2021 but was postponed till next year due to the pandemic.

However, there are uncertainties surrounding the tournament.

The most significant opposition comes from Europe, especially in England, where clubs are reluctant to release their top players.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19, which is spreading fast, is also a concern.

There are reports that the Confederation of African Football, CAF, is considering cancelling this year’s edition due to the rapid increase of the Omicron COVID variant.

But Eto’o, a four-time African Player of the Year, posited he doesn’t see why the AFCON should not go ahead after the Euro 2020 was also played during the pandemic.

“Why should it be played?” Eto’o told Canal Plus.

“The federation that I represent will strongly defend the competition. The Euros were played in the middle of the pandemic with full stadiums. Why shouldn’t we play? We must be clear on this aspect.”