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Rabat – The African Confederation of Football (CAF) has decided to postpone the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) for a year, in light of the spread of COVID-19.
The AFCON was set to take place between January 9 and February 6, 2021 in Cameroon, but has been suspended with the COVID-19 outbreak. Now the Executive Committee of the CAF has decided to run the tournament in 2022.
This will be the 33rd AFCON, with 24 participating national teams from the African continent. Last year’s champion was Algeria, which will also participate in the upcoming tournament.
The postponement will also allow the confederation to set a new calendar for qualifications, that are still not finished yet, to determine the participating teams.
Morocco is part of group E of the qualifiers, with Mauritania, Central African Republic, and Burundi.
Morocco’s first match of the qualifiers took place on November 15, 2019 in Rabat and ended in a draw. In its second match, on November 19, 2019 against Burundi away from home, the Atlas Lions scored three goals to none.
The Moroccan national team’s next match of the qualifiers will be against Central African Republic and will be played in Morocco.
The COVID-19 pandemic has condemned African football to wait, in uncertainty, as no official date has been issued for championships, while some European leagues resumed play under strict preventive measures.
CAF President Ahmad Ahmad recently stated that the situation will remain unchanged until the outbreak is brought under control.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan Royal Football Federation (FRMF) decided to resume the Moroccan local football league (Botola) on July 24.
The resumption of Botola in Morocco is part of the country’s campaign to ease the lockdown, after surpassing “the most difficult” period of the COVID-19 crisis, according to the minister of health.
