The European Club Association have raised their concerns about sending players to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations concern (AFCON) after the Omicron Covid-19 variant was discovered in South Africa late last month.
Cameroon is scheduled to host the tournament, which will begin on January 9 and run until February 6, and a number of players from all across Europe are expected to join up and represent their respective countries.
However, numerous nations have already begun reintroducing stricter lockdown rules amid concerns over the infection rate of the Omicron variant, and the European Clubs Association confirmed that they plan to hold talks with FIFA in the coming weeks to discuss the safety of the AFCON.
Chelsea and Senegal number one goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. | PHOTO: Getty Images |
A statement seen by SportsLeo read: “The Board also expressed its deep concerns around player safety and welfare ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations concern and upcoming international windows in early 2022, particularly in light of the worsening public health situation and the severe challenges faced during recent international windows.
“The Board agreed to engage urgently with FIFA to ensure all necessary precautions are in place to protect players and club interests as the health situation continues to deteriorate in an alarming manner.”
On top of the obviously known risk to health, the ECA are also concerned about the impact that quarantining could have on domestic schedules, with many leagues keen to avoid a repeat of the chaos which took place back in September.
Some clubs blocked their South American players from travelling for the international break to avoid the need for an isolation period upon their return, leading to a burdensome legal battle with FIFA over whether those players should be punished for failing to report for international duty.
It all led to nothing, but the tension remains and the ECA are keen to avoid anything similar happening once again.
An agreement was reached in October which saw clubs pay for private jets to bring their players back as soon as possible, with the players themselves agreeing to remain in a bubble during the international break as well.
In England, Liverpool risks losing top forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane who play for Egypt and Senegal respectively, Naby Keita will also be out for Liverpool.
UEFA Champions League reigning Champions Chelsea risk losing their number one goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and forward Hakim Ziyech who plays for Senegal and Morroco respectively. The risk is also bigger for Chelsea who will be travelling to the United Arab Emirates for the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup on February 3, 2020 meaning there is a higher possibility that Mendy will be unavailable for the trip.
Other clubs risking losing top players in England include Manchester City in Riyad Mahrez who plays for, Crystal Palace in Senegal’s Cheikhou Kouyate, Ivory Coast forward Wilfred Zaha, and Ghana’s Andre Ayew, Wolverhampton Wanderers in defender Romain Saiss who plays for Morroco, Watford in top goalscorer Emmanuel Dennis who plays for Nigeria and many more.
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