FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter on Saturday set up a strategic committee to examine how best African Cup Of Nations’ tournament could be staged without having negative effects on European clubs.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra ahead of the opening of 26th edition of the African Cup of Nations on Sunday, Blatter said the re-scheduling of the African Cup of Nations has become necessary following agitations by European clubs that they lose most of their key African players during the period of January which greatly affect soccer in Europe.
According to him, the committee will consider whether 2016 edition of the African Cup of Nations be held in January or July.
Blatter who did not mention the number of persons that will constitute the committee, however hinted that Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Issa Hayatou will be included in the committee.
But CAF President Issa Hayatou whose tenure of office expires in 2011, revealed that the continent chose to host the tournament two years in every January years because it was dry season throughout the continent whereas July was a rainy month.
It has become a biennal ritual to many European clubs that most of their key African players such as Micheal Essien and Didier Drogba of Chelsea, El-hadj Diouf of Bolton Wonders and Samuel Eto of Barcelona, among others leave their league competition mid- stream to participate in the African Cup of Nations which is normally hosted in January.