FIFA president Gianni Infantino is supporting a postponement to AFCON, reportedly because he’s prioritising the Club World Cup.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino gestures as he speaks during a public debate with members of the Association of International Sports Press (AIPS) as part of its annual congress on February 3, 2020 in Budapest, Hungary.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino gestures as he speaks during a public debate with members of the Association of International Sports Press (AIPS) as part of its annual congress on February 3, 2020. (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)

The i Newspaper report that Gianni Infantino is supporting the calls for a postponement to the Africa Cup of Nations, currently scheduled to kick off in January.

The CAF executive committee have already held one meeting to discuss the tournament on Sunday, but it ended with no agreement. The Cameroonian hosts are particularly keen not to postpone again. A second meeting is planned for Wednesday.

CAF sources claim Infantino’s priority is the Club World Cup, which isn’t surprising. He isn’t going to want the FIFA tournament to overlap with AFCON (which it currently does), so he has a vested interest in postponing it.

Rumours last week also hinted at a postponement.

Latest Arsenal injury updates and news

Egyptian journalist Ismael Mahmoud and Mirror reporter David Lynch both tweeted on Wednesday morning that CAF were expected to announce a postponement of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations imminently.

But Saddick Adams reported that CAF have quashed the rumours, with the CAF Head of Media Relations and Operations describing the reports as “fake news”.

The European Clubs Association wrote a letter to FIFA to express concerns over the well-being of players given the current Covid-19 situation and then followed that up with another to CAF.

The potential postponement obviously has an impact on Arsenal, who are set to lose four players to the tournament in a few games’ time.

Thomas Partey (Ghana), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Nicolas Pepe (Ivory Coast), and Mohamed Elneny (Egypt) are all set to be part of their countries’ AFCON squads.

WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND - AUGUST 25: Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal during the Carabao Cup Second Round between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns on August 25, 2021 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND: Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal during the Carabao Cup Second Round between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns on August 25, 2021. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

The suggestion is that they’ll have to leave on December 27th, though there was also some talk of a January 3rd release date.

Here’s Arsenal’s schedule over the relevant period, with unconfirmed fixtures in italics:

  • 27th December – 1st possible release date
  • 28th December – Arsenal vs Wolves
  • 1st January – Arsenal vs Manchester City
  • 3rd January – 2nd possible release date
  • 5th January – League Cup semi-final 1st leg
  • 8th January – Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal
  • 12th January – League Cup semi-final 2nd leg
  • 15th January – Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
  • 20th January – End of group stage, earliest possible return date
  • 22nd January – Arsenal vs Burnley
  • 5th February – FA Cup fourth round
  • 6th February – End of tournament
  • 8th February – Wolves vs Arsenal

It’s worth noting Chelsea’s fixture against Arsenal could be moved to one of the League Cup semi-final dates in the unlikely event that neither club make it to the semi-final, as that fixture needs rescheduling for the Club World Cup.

Latest Arsenal injury updates and news