Good news for Liverpool: AFCON in serious threat of cancellation over Omicron fears

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The Confederation of African Football [CAF] are reportedly considering cancelling January’s African Cup of Nations tournament over COVID-19 fears.

Next year’s AFCON tournament is due to take place between 9th January and 6th February. Premier League stars such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Edouard Mendy are all set to partake in the competition – should it be allowed to go ahead.

As is reported by RMC Sport (via GFFN), CAF are considering whether it is a good idea to press ahead with the tournament in Cameroon while the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is causing a considerable surge in cases worldwide.

There appears to be a legitimate possibility that the tournament is now cancelled, with the next edition of AFCON scheduled for 2023 following the World Cup in Qatar. Though, it remains to be seen what the COVID-19 situation will be by that point in time.

The 2022 edition of the African Cup of Nations appears to be under serious threat

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While it would be heartbreaking for African football fans to see the tournament called off as a result of the pandemic, the priority is the welfare of the fans, staff and players, all of whom would be running the risk of infection if it went ahead.

There’s also the bonus of Liverpool fans and FPL managers not losing Salah for a month – which will no doubt be appreciated.

We await further news in due course and would expect to discover the fate of the tournament over the next fortnight.