Guinea Reject A June Date For Nations Cup To Accommodate Qatar 2022

(Photo: Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke, right, has stated that
an agreement has been made to move the African Cup of Nations, a
decision hosts Guinea insist is not possible. Karim Jaafar / AFP)

Hosts of the 2023 African Cup of Nations, Guinea have said they will
not consider changing the dates for the tournament to accommodate the
2022 World Cup in Qatar.

A taskforce from football world governing body FIFA has recommended
that the world cup tournament in the Middle Eastern country be played
in November and December due to the extreme temperatures in June and
July.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter added that the final of that competition
should be played no later than December 18.

The General Secretary of FIFA, Jerome Valcke had earlier released a
statement stating that the AFCON in 2023 will be moved to June from
January, six months from when the tournament has always been played.

However, The Guinean Sports Ministry has rejected this proposal from
FIFA, arguing that their opinion hadn't been sought on the matter and
that the proposed date was during the rainy season in that country.

"We cannot accommodate the Nations Cup in June, it is the rainy
season," the Guinean Sports Minister Domani Dore told Guinea
television.

"CAF needs to take care to seek the advice of Guinea that we as a
state decide which dates the tournament will be played. We understand
the problem around the World Cup and a clash with the Nations Cup," he
said.

"But CAF needs to take care to ask our opinion. In June, we cannot
accommodate a Nations Cup tournament. It's not possible," Dore added.