The rescheduled Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, 2022, with Sky Sports broadcasting all 52 games live; the event is expected to feature about 40 Premier League players.
Players and countries competing in the Africa Cup of Nations, according to Ian Wright, deserve more recognition.
Ian Wright, a former England and Arsenal striker, claims that media coverage of European players attending the Africa Cup of Nations is “disrespectful” and “laced with racism.”
The 24-team competition kicks off on January 9 and will include a slew of top Premier League players, with all 52 games broadcast live on Sky Sports.
According to Wright, the way the tournament was covered, as well as the issue of player release throughout the European season, was in stark contrast to how Euro 2020 was handled.
“Is there ever a tournament more disrespected than the Africa Cup of Nations?” In an Instagram video, Wright stated.”
There is no greater honour than representing your country. The coverage is tainted with racism throughout.
“In the midst of a pandemic, we played our Euros across ten countries with no problems.” Cameroon, on the other hand, is a concern because it is a single country hosting the event.
“Players that will compete in the Africa Cup of Nations finals will be able to play for their clubs until January 3.
Wright went on to say that he didn’t like it when players were questioned if they wanted to play for their countries.
“You’ve got journalists asking players if they’ll honor their national team call-ups… players are being asked if they’ll honor their national team call-ups.”
Imagine if that player was an Englishman playing for the Three Lions. “Can you picture the uproar?” says the narrator.
The Premier League’s title contenders Mohamed Salah of Egypt, Sadio Mane of Senegal, and Naby Keita of Guinea will not play for Liverpool.
Crystal Palace will be without Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew, and Cheikhou Kouyate, but manager Patrick Vieira said there was no way of convincing them to miss the finals.
“I admire and understand the passion and need for players to represent their nation, so I will never stop any player from playing in the Africa Cup of Nations,” Vieira said, while urging the media to pay more attention to the tournament.
Players and countries, according to Wright, deserved more respect. “A lot of the greatest players in Europe right now are African,” the 58-year-old, who played 33 times for England, observed.
“If we love them at club level why can’t we love them at international level like their counterparts across the globe? Why is it that this competition is always getting slammed?”
The group stages of the AFCON begin on January 9 and end on January 20.The round of 16 will be held from January 23 to 26, while the quarter-finals will be held on January 29 and 30.
The semi-finals will be held on February 2 and 3, and the tournament will conclude on February 6 with the final and the third-place play-off.
