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The African Football Confederation (CAF) has confirmed that the African Cup of Nations will take place in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, 2022.
The tournament was supposed to take place in January and February 2021, but the CAF announced last June that the event would be rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented the qualifiers from taking place.
The new dates for the event were confirmed at a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee chaired by the organization’s new president, Patrice Motsepe, who also included the secretary general Véron Mosengo-Omba.
The tournament draw will take place on June 25.
A total of 23 teams have secured places in the tournament, following the last qualifying round in March.
Final place in the 24-team event will be determined in June, after the Sierra Leone-Benin match failed to take place after the latter refused to play when five of their players tested positive for COVID-19.
Sierra Leone needs a win to qualify for the competition, while Benin must avoid defeat to secure second place in Group L.
Host Cameroon will be joined in the tournament by Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Ghana, Sudan, Gambia and Gabon.
Morocco, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Egypt, Comoros, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Nigeria have also been classified.
Algeria is the reigning champion after beating Senegal in the 2019 final.
At the CAF Executive Committee meeting, Mosengo-Omba presented a report on the “state of infrastructure degradation on the African continent.”
The report assures that the facilities do not offer or no longer offer the necessary guarantees to host CAF competitions, in particular the African Cup of Nations.
CAF stated that it was agreed that the improvement of various infrastructures will be a priority for the organization, and it is expected that a detailed plan will be drawn up.
Talks are reportedly underway to collaborate with the World Health Organization to allow independent bodies to test for COVID-19 before matches.
The move comes as the organization plans the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon and continues controversy over the veracity of evidence in some club competitions.
The meeting confirmed that Ivorian Jacques Anouma has been appointed as Motsepe’s Senior Special Advisor.
Anouma had initially run for the CAF presidency, but withdrew his candidacy amid an agreement reached for Motsepe to remain unopposed.
Augustin Senghor from Senegal and Ahmed Yahya from Mauritania accepted first and second vice president positions, while Anouma agreed to be special adviser.
CAF also confirmed that South African Daniel Jordaan has been appointed advisor in charge of competitions and marketing.
The president of the Somali Soccer Federation, Abdigani Said Arab, has been incorporated into the CAF Executive Committee, while Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco was confirmed as president of the CAF Finance Committee.
Hany Abou Rida from Egypt and Amaju Melvin Pinnick from Nigeria were added as members of the CAF Emergency Committee.
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