Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) striker Cedric Bakambu does not mind if the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is postponed.
There are four rounds of qualifying matches to go after March and June matches were postponed by Caf as the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on sporting activities around the world.
A cloud of uncertainty now covers the next Afcon tournament scheduled for Cameroon from 9 January – 6 February.
"Frankly I do not know [if Afcon finals will be affected by the coronavirus]. It will not be easy as there are still many qualifying matches left. I am ready, my team too. But we are not immune to Afcon postponement. Will have to do with it, there are more important things than football," Bakambu told RFI.
The last Afcon edition staged in Egypt marked the end of DRC coach Florent Ibenge's five-year tenure as Leopards coach and Bakambu defends the coach while accepting responsibility as a player for an unsuccessful campaign.
This was after a Round on 16 shock exit from Afcon at the hands of debutants Madagascar who also stunned Nigeria 2-0 in the group stage.
"We hope to do better next time. We Congolese have to offer better, and I hope that we will do so at the next competition," said Bakambu.
"You know how it goes in football. When it goes less well for the team, we point the finger at the coach. But he is not the only one responsible, we are all responsible, me first."
The former France youth international debuted for DRC in 2015 and made his first Afcon appearance at Gabon 2017 and is expected to play an instrumental role in the bid to qualify for the 2021 tournament.
DRC's quest to qualify for the next Afcon tournament faces the threat from Gambia, Gabon and Angola in Group D where they are placed third without a won in two matches.
Bakambu says they are their own enemies in the qualification race due to their inconsistency.
"I’ve already played two Afcons since 2017. It’s important because the DRC is a big country, and a big football country," Bakambu said.
"It is important that we are regularly at Afcon. It brings passion, hope, pride to all the Congolese who watch us. So on the ground, we try to defend our colours as much as possible.
"It is never easy to qualify, especially we Congolese, we are the kings of calculation, we always qualify with difficulty. Until the last day is disputed, anything is possible. For the moment, we are third in Group D.
"The opponent that scares me the most, I'm going to tell you the truth, it's the Congo! Because we are capable of the best and the worst. If we are having a great night, we can beat any team, and conversely, we can lose against anyone if we are not there, we saw it at the last Afcon. So I would say that the biggest opponent is ourselves."
