Star players such as Mohamed Salah, Bryan Mbeumo and Achraf Hakimi will be able to play for their clubs for an extra week until December 15 before joining their national teams at the Africa Cup of Nations, FIFA said on Wednesday.
Top European clubs such as Salahs Liverpool, Mbeumos Manchester United and Hakimis Paris Saint-Germain face losing key players for up to five weeks for the 24-nation tournament in Morocco from December 21 to January 18.
But they had feared it could be even longer until FIFA amended its rules to soften the blow for clubs by delaying the release date by a week.
