The World Leagues Forum, which represents domestic league competitions around the world – including the Premier League – has written to FIFA and CAF threatening that players called up for the Africa Cup of Nations will not be released by their clubs until 2 January.
The tournament in Cameroon, which has already been a major cause for concern for clubs in the Premier League and others as a result of losing players at a key time and the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, is scheduled to begin on 9 January 2022.
