Confederation of Africa CAF President, Patrice Motsepe has disclosed that the African Cup of Nations originally billed for 2023 will now hold in 2024.
This he said is in order to avoid the anticipated heavy rains in the host country.
He added that the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has now been scheduled to hold in 2024 in Cote d’Ivoire.
The competition was to hold between June and July in 2023, which is the peak of rainy season in Cote d’Ivoire.
“We cannot take the risk,” the South African said yesterday, in Rabat, Moroccan capital.
With the World Cup in Qatar taking place in November and December this year, the decision has been taken to postpone the finals rather than bring them forward.It means the AFCON will be held between January and February for the second time in a row, after this year’s tournament in Cameroun.
In 2017, CAF announced that it would move the finals from their traditional January/February slot to June/July in a bid to avoid repeated disputes with European clubs forced to release players in the middle of the season.
“January is not the ideal time because of the European clubs, but it is the only choice we have,” Motsepe said.
