The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is set to be cancelled indefinitely because of fears over the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
It was due to be staged in the West African nation of Cameroon. The first ball was due to be kicked on 9 January in the capital Yaoundé, amidst widespread concerns about the transmissibility of the new variant, CAF (The Confederation of African Football) will confirm its postponement, with no immediate plans for it to be rescheduled.
That can have a significant effect on the Premier League, where around 40 players had been expected to join up with their national squads.
Clubs were expected to release their players soon after Boxing Day, but can now face a reprieve, something that might benefit Liverpool ion particular. Liverpool had faced the prospect of losing both Mo Salah and Sadio Mané at a critical juncture, and news of them being available will boost their hopes of sustaining their league challenge.
News that players might not be travelling to Africa may cause some clubs to change their plans ahead of the transfer window. Moves to bring in players as replacements for the absentees, either on a permanent or loan basis, may now be shelved.
All this is bad news for African football, which regards AFCON as a major showcase for its talent. The tournament was originally scheduled for the summer of 2020 but then was pushed back because of the pandemic.
It was the postponed to January 2021, because climatic conditions in Cameroon render playing football there in the summer untenable, before a further delay of a year was scheduled.
It is now difficult to see how this latest version of AFCON can be staged, especially as 2022 is a World Cup year and the African qualifying for Qatar has still to be finalised.
First discovered by scientists in South Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the Omicron variant is spreading at a rate not seen with previous strains of the virus, and is likely to be present in most countries, even those which have not yet announced cases.