Klopp Angered By AFCON 2021 Switch
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been left angered by the Confederation of African Football’s decision to switch the AFCON 2021 tournament to January and February.
The European champions could lose as many as three influential players in the middle of the season as the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita will have to honour international call-ups if their countries qualify.
The 2019 edition of the AFCON was the first time the tournament had been held in June and July, putting to bed the perennial club versus country dilemma players usually face at the halfway stage of the season.
But Cameroon, who will host the 2021 edition of the tournament, requested a switch to the start of the year, citing meteorological challenges, and that request was duly granted by CAF.
Klopp was left seething about the decision at his press conference ahead of Liverpool’s game against Manchester United on Sunday, but knows he will be powerless to prevent his players from leaving when the time comes.
"[It's] for us a catastrophe in that moment losing three players," Klopp said.
"I couldn't respect the Africa Cup of Nations more than I do because I like the competition and watched it a lot in the past. It's a very interesting tournament."
"But, it's an obvious problem that you play a tournament in the middle of the season, although it makes more sense for Africa to play it in our winter when the weather is better for them - I get that.
"But we have absolutely no power - so if we did say 'We don't let him go', the player is suspended.
"If a player is injured and cannot play for us we have to send him to Africa and they have a look and in one or two weeks they are back. Nowadays, it should not be like this."
