The decision was made in 2017 to play future AFCON tournaments in the summer so they wouldn't clash with the big European league seasons. The 2019 tournament was played in the summer. The 2021 tournament was originally scheduled to be played in the summer, but was moved.
So saying clubs knew they'd be missing this month when they signed African players is not true, unless they were signed after the decision to move the tournament was made.
Yes, Leicester could have played tonight, by playing a couple of kids, and having a bench full of kids like they did on Saturday, but I think any other club in the same situation would have asked the PL to postpone the game.
I've seen some Leicester fans saying they're not allowed to play the kids in league matches, but that's nonsense. They don't count as first team players when they're trying to get games postponed, but that doesn't mean they're not allowed to play.
Leicester aren't refusing to play, like some people have said. They've been given permission not to play. Very different to the Middlesbrough situation in 1997, which some people have mentioned. They didn't have permission to call off the match.
It could backfire on them. They're playing well at the moment, and might have reverted to being crap again by the time the game is played.
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