Izuchukwu Okosi
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By Izuchukwu Okosi
Egyptian club Al Ahly on Tuesday lodged a formal complaint to express their dissatisfaction over the decision of FIFA to host the Club World Cup in January 2022 which clashes with the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Cameroon.
The second Afcon semi-final will be played on February 3 which is the day when the Club World Cup first-round match will kick off.
Al Ahly, the most decorated African club will be Africa’s representatives in the UAE and could be without several players depending on their respective countries’ progress at the Nations Cup.
Ahly’s Egypt players as well as Tunisia right-back Ali Maaloul and Mali defensive midfielder Aliou Dieng are expected to grace the AFCON finals.
“Al Ahly SC will send official letters on Tuesday to the Egyptian Football Association, Caf, and Fifa, requesting the three parties to collaborate to resolve the clash of dates between the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2021 Fifa Club World Cup,” Al Ahly said in a statement.
“The Fifa Club World Cup will be held in the UAE between 3 and 12 February which clashes with the dates of the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held between 9 January and 6 February in Cameroon.
“Al Ahly SC have more than seven players at the Egyptian national team’s squad in addition to three foreign players who will represent their national teams in the competition, which will impact our participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.”
African Champions, Al Ahly will face CF Monterrey of Mexico when they enter the Club World Cup in the second round, which is likely to take place on the same day as the Nations Cup final.
The winners of that match will play newly-crowned Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras in the semi-finals, while European champions Chelsea take on either Al Hilal, Al Jazira or Auckland City in the other last-four tie.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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