Izuchukwu OkosiAfrica football governing body CAF has moved the next Africa Cup of Nations to January and February 2024, the continent’s football ruling body confirmed on Sunday July 3.
The decision of CAF to shift the AFCON initially billed for June and July 2023 is due to the concerns over the rainy season in Cote d’Ivoire.
The tournament was to be hosted in Ivory Coast in June-July 2023, which is the height of the rainy season in the country.
Consequently CAF president Patrice Motsepe has announced in Rabat Morocco on Sunday that the tournament has now been moved to early 2024.
Motsepe explained that, with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar taking place in November and December this year, the decision has been taken to postpone the AFCON rather than bring it forward.
It means the Nations Cup will be held in January and February for the second time in a row, after this year’s tournament in Cameroon.
In 2017, CAF announced that it would move the AFCON from their traditional January-February slot to June-July in a bid to avoid repeated disputes with European clubs forced to release players in the middle of the season.
“We cannot take the risk, January is not the ideal time because of the European clubs, but it is the only choice we have,” Motsepe had said.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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