COVID19: CAF Looks into Rescheduling CHAN for 2021
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is considering shifting the African Nations Championship (CHAN) to a new date after the 2021 Cup of African Nations (AFCON) finals.
According to CAF’s acting General Secretary Abdelmounaim Bah, the AFCON tournament will run as scheduled from January 9 to February 6, 2021 in Cameroon.
However, CAF is not certain about the date when CHAN (exclusive to only players competing in their respective domestic leagues) will start following it’s indefinite suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The next African Nations Championship (CHAN 2020), originally scheduled for April 4 to 25 in Cameroon was indefinitely postponed but if this crisis continues, we have no choice, we will organize this CHAN in 2021,” Bah told Radio France International.
He added, “Is it still possible to take place in 2020 despite a sports calendar that promises to be uncertain and overloaded. Everything will depend on the evolution of the situation, but today, the preferred option is to try to reprogram this CHAN in 2021.”
The acting General Secretary nevertheless remains optimistic about having the final qualifier games for AFCON tournament scheduled for September and November this year.
In case the qualification matches take place as planned, the group stage draws for AFCON will be held in December, a month before kickoff of the tournament.
That said, the CHAN tournament might be pushed to next year after the AFCON tournament in Cameroon provided the global crisis persists.
The African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament was previously slated for 4th-25th April in Cameroon this year before being postponed.
Other activities which were postponed by CAF include the CAF Confederation Cup and the CAF Champions League semifinals and finals plus the FIFA U17, U20 Women’s World Cup tournaments.
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