Hosts of the 2023 African Cup of Nations, Guinea have said they will not consider changing the dates for the tournament to accommodate the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
A taskforce from football world governing body FIFA has recommended that the world cup tournament in the Middle Eastern country be played in November and December due to the extreme temperatures in June and July.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter added that the final of that competition should be played no later than December 18.
The General Secretary of FIFA, Jerome Valcke had earlier released a statement stating that the AFCON in 2023 will be moved to June from January, six months from when the tournament has always been played.
However, The Guinean Sports Ministry has rejected this proposal from FIFA, arguing that their opinion hadn’t been sought on the matter and that the proposed date was during the rainy season in that country.
“We cannot accommodate the Nations Cup in June, it is the rainy season,” the Guinean Sports Minister Domani Dore told Guinea television.
“CAF needs to take care to seek the advice of Guinea that we as a state decide which dates the tournament will be played. We understand the problem around the World Cup and a clash with the Nations Cup,” he said.
“But CAF needs to take care to ask our opinion. In June, we cannot accommodate a Nations Cup tournament. It’s not possible,” Dore added.
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EdKwakofi