Ex-Nigeria international Mutiu Adepoju has thrown his weight behind the Confederation of African Football’s (Caf) decision to postpone the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
During Caf’s executive committee meeting on Tuesday, they resolved that the championship billed for commencement on January 9, 2021 in Cameroon will now take place in 2022 owing to the impact of Covid-19.
“After consultation with stakeholders and taking into consideration the current global situation, the tournament has been rescheduled for January 2022. The date for the final tournament and the remaining matches of the qualifiers will be communicated in due course,” a statement from Caf read.
Currently, qualifying games are yet to be concluded while Europe-based stars might be affected because of a likely congested season should the competition go as planned.
The former Super Eagles midfielder has taken to social media to share his thoughts on the resolution.
According to him, shifting the African football showpiece will enable hosts Cameroon to prepare accordingly while participating countries would have enough time to prepare for the tournament.
“I was wondering about the kind of magic Caf would perform to host the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations,” the former Real Madrid and Real Sociedad star tweeted.
“But with this postponement, there is more time for effective planning for the hosts, while countries would have enough time to prepare.
“And by then, players would really be in their best shape. Good decision from Caf.”
Meanwhile, president Ahmad Ahmad also ousted rumours that the Central African country would be replaced as hosts. Cameroon were denied the hosting right of the 2019 edition due to their unpreparedness.
“The Caf Executive Committee is satisfied with the Cameroonian authorities for their commitment towards the hosting of the two competitions. Cameroon is ready to host either competition and are within schedule " he said as quoted by the Caf website.
Algeria are the defending champions having defeated Senegal 1-0 in the final of Egypt 2019, with Baghdad Bounedjah scoring the only goal at the Cairo International Stadium.
The case is different for women’s football as the 2020 African Women’s Cup of Nations has been cancelled. However, the women’s Champions League has been inaugurated and will start in 2021.
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