Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled to hold in Cote d’Ivoire may be postponed due to climate conditions.
A report from a French newspaper, Le Monde, claims the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is considering postponing the next edition of the continent’s flagship football championship.
The 17th edition of the continental championship, AFCON 2023, is scheduled for June 23 to July 23, 2023, in the West African nation.
Less than a year before kickoff, major cities in Ivory Coast are experiencing heavy rains with floods and CAF is beginning to admit that scheduling the competition in the middle of the rainy season may not necessarily be a bright idea.
“We are considering it; it is one of the possibilities,” admits CAF Secretary-General, Mr Veron Mosengo-Omba, interviewed by Le Monde.
“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.”
With the 2022 World Cup billed for November 21 to December 18, 2022, it is impossible to push back the AFCON to January-February 2023 due to representatives set to represent the continent in Qatar.
There will be considerations for players who will not be able to participate in two major tournaments in the space of a few weeks.
The most likely alternative appears to be to postpone the AFCON to January-February 2024.
Climate disruptions appear to be the next worry for the African continent after the coronavirus pandemic halted the last tournament in Cameroon, which was later played earlier this year.
The subject is expected to be on the menu of the 44th Ordinary General Assembly of CAF scheduled for August 10 in Arusha, Tanzania.
