Africa Cup move catastrophic, says Reds boss
LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp believes the decision to move the Africa Cup of Nations back to its traditional January slot is a “catastrophe” for the club.
The tournament was scheduled to be hosted by Cameroon in the summer of 2021, which already clashed with the expanded Club World Cup — of which the Reds are currently champions — but has been switched because of concerns over the climate in the country in July.
That is likely to mean Klopp will be without Senegal’s Sadio Mane, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah
and Guinea’s Naby Keita for some or potentially all of the sixweek period.
“The African Cup of Nations going back to January is, for us, a catastrophe,” said the Liverpool manager, who claims the decision will affect the club’s transfer policy. “We will not sell Sadio, Mo or Naby now because they have a tournament in January and February — of course not.
“But if you have to make a decision about bringing in a player, it is a massive one because before the season you know for four weeks you don’t have them.
“That’s a normal process and, as a club, you have to think about these things.”
Klopp, whose side host Manchester United tomorrow, has been a long-time, outspoken critic of a bloated and often chaotic fixture schedule which has what he feels are unnecessary clashes at both international and domestic level.
Over the last month the Liverpool manager has been vocal in his opposition to the festive calendar, two-legged Carabao Cup semi-finals and FA Cup replays, in addition to the farcical clash between the Club World Cup in Qatar and Carabao Cup quarter-final, which forced the Reds to field a youth team in the defeat at Aston Villa.
However, he still expects his comments to fall on deaf ears.
“It is like the biggest waste of time ever. ‘The Moaner from Liverpool’ or whatever is again on track,” he added. “As long as nothing changes I will say it all the time. It is because it is about the players, not about me.
“There are so many things to sort, but all these guys never find time to sit around one table and make a general schedule.”
Klopp also believes the proliferation of fixtures contributed to the hamstring injury suffered by Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane, which could rule him out of Euro 2020.
The national team captain underwent surgery on a ruptured tendon last weekend.
“I feel massively for Harry Kane,” he added. “For the first time some English people in the FA may think ‘Oh, too many games maybe’.”