Sports
2023 Nations Cup postponed to January 2024
The 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) has been postponed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The competition which was initially billed to hold in June-July of 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire, will now be held between January and February 2024.
The CAF Executive Committee led by President Patrice Motsepe took the decision in Rabat, Morocco on Sunday.
The decision to shift the games was due to the concerns about the rainy season in the host country Cote d’Ivoire.
Ripples Nigeria recalls that CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba had told French daily publication Le Monde last week, that the football body was considering a change in the date due to the weather conditions.
Read Also: SportsBusiness: CAF increases AWCON prize money to US$2.4million
“We are considering it; it is one of the possibilities,” he said
“We asked Ivorian meteorologists to report to us on rainfall history in Côte d’Ivoire in June and July, but also to share their projections with us.”
On Sunday the BBC quoted Motsepe as saying that CAF could not take the risk of playing the competition in June because of the weather conditions.
“January is not the ideal time because of the European clubs, but it is the only choice we have,” Motsepe added.
The shift means the Nations Cup will be held in January and February for the second time in a row, after this year’s tournament in Cameroon.
The Super Eagles have already played two games in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers and have recorded wins against Sierra Leone and São Tomé and Principe in Group A.
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