AFCON: Major change to Africa Cup of Nations confirmed that will impact Liverpool

Sports Doctor 7/04/2022 12:22:00 AM

ANOTHER midseason event will have a significant impact on Liverpool in 2023–24 after a significant modification to the Africa Cup of Nations schedule was officially announced.

Last year, the AFCON was held in the middle of the season because Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Naby Keita had to leave for the competition and miss games for Liverpool.

Fortunately, the Reds were able to thrive without their African trio thanks in large part to the immediate impact of winter signing Luis Diaz. It was a setback the club had long known about.

This Cameroonian tournament was originally slated to take place in the summer of 2021, but due to a number of issues, notably the COVID-19 pandemic, it was ultimately moved to January and February of the following year.

Now when a comparable circumstance has developed.

Similar circumstances have since developed, with the 2023 AFCON currently officially scheduled to occur in the winter of 2024.

According to journalist Usher Komugisha, the tournament was moved due to "heavy rains" in the Ivory Coast during the summer. As a result, Liverpool will once again be without Salah and Keita by the halfway point of 2023–2024.

In order to accommodate the winter World Cup in Qatar, the domestic calendar will be suspended this term, making it the third consecutive campaign with a mid-season event.

However, there won't be a break for the AFCON in the Premier League, so Jurgen Klopp will have to prepare for another season without two important players.

Keita's contract is currently set to end in 2023, therefore he might not be a Liverpool player by that time.

However, it is widely anticipated that Keita will sign a contract extension given that negotiations have continued in the wake of the disclosure of Salah's new club-record contract worth upwards of £350,000 per week.

In the most recent AFCON, Salah and Mane faced off in the championship match, which Senegal won over Egypt. Throughout their journey, the two Liverpool players missed six games.