Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers postponed over coronavirus

Denis Doyle, getty

The third and fourth rounds of qualifying this month for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon have been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, the organisers said Friday.

A total of 48 matches were scheduled to be played between Wednesday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 31.

Confederation of African Football acting secretary general Abdel Bah said in a statement that several factors led to the postponements.

These included many African stars being based in European countries that have been severely affected by the virus.

Bah said players travelling to Africa could have been quarantined for several weeks, and some European clubs had refused to release African players.

New dates have not been announced and one possibility is that the final two rounds of qualifying, set for June 1-9 and August 31-September 8, could change from one matchday to two.