The African cup of Nations organizers have laid down strict rules insisting only fans who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and have proof of a negative test in the run-up to a game can attend January’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
In a joint statement from Cameroon’s government and football association (Fecafoot), as well as the Confederation of African Football (Caf), the tournament has been re-confirmed as going ahead between 9 January and 6 February.
Twenty-four teams, some of whom will feature major Premier League stars like Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Senegal’s Sadio Mahrez and Riyad Mahrez of defending champions Algeria, are set to take part.
But concerns grow within the European Club Association and independent bodies as figures from ‘World in Data’ reveal the hosting nation Cameroon at present has vaccinated just 2% of its population, striking a debate on player’s welfare especially due to emergence of the Omicron variant of coronavirus and the “worsening public health situation”.