International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced on Tuesday that no international match would be played in early September, except for the Europe, which will prevent many players from traveling due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
FIFA has decided to replace the international window scheduled for August 31 to September 8 with a new window from January 24 to February 1, 2022. They also confirmed the addition of a new period of January 2022 for the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), with the exact dates yet to be determined.
Thus, South American or African players playing in Europe will not have to travel at the beginning of September to play with their selection.
“We are going replace the window from 31 August to 8 September 2020 with a window from 24 January to 1 February 2022 for all confederations except UEFA. This means that there is no mandatory release of players for member associations from these confederations in September 2020,” FIFA said in a statement.
The FIFA Council decided on these schedule changes “In response to the disruption caused globally by the Covid-19 pandemic which continues to plague many parts of the world,” FIFA said in a statement.
The international federation has taken the same decision for women matches, canceling the existing window from September 14 to 22, 2020 for all confederations except UEFA.
The coronavirus epidemic continues to disrupt life across the world. The impact on gatherings is an area that most countries have moved to control. From the playing of football matches behind closed doors, the banning of scheduled sports events.
FIFA understands that to hold the matches under current conditions might not only present potential health risks to football stars and to the general public.
