Afcon may hurt PSL championship aspirations, Chiefs coach says

According to BDLive, Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter is dreading the looming African Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament. The PSL will take a seven-week break from December 19 to accommodate Afcon - to be staged in this country from January 19 to February 10.

Baxter said on Wednesday he was worried that the rhythm of his premiership leaders could be affected by the time the season resumes on February 13.

"The African Nations Cup is a worrying issue for me," Baxter said. "If (Bafana) are successful and get to the final, we will get the players back maybe three or four days before the league resumes after the tournament." With the time off needed to rest players, he says, "that may mean we will go into the first few games with a ... depleted team."

Chiefs have topped the log since the start of the season in August and have a three-point lead over second-placed Orlando Pirates, and Baxter is worried that injuries sustained during Afcon, fatigue and loss of form could scuttle his plans to win the premiership title. "It is a concern because we have got so many players who ... will be on six or seven weeks of national duty. It will be a challenge for everybody to quickly get back into the same rhythm," he told BDLive

Read the full article on www.bdlive.co.za.