Sheffield Wednesday are expected to lose both Sean Fusire and Yan Valery for the upcoming AFCON.

FIFA has confirmed clubs will not have to release players participating at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFON) until seven days before their nations’ opening match - marking a welcome boost for Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls are likely to lose both Sean Fusire and Yan Valery to the competition after Zimbabwe and Tunisia both qualified for the tournament in Morocco. Fusire was included in Zimbabwe’s provisional 55-man squad last week and Valery is expected to make the cut for Tunisia.

The tournament is scheduled to kick-off on December 21, with hosts Morocco taking on Comoros. Zimbabwe will take on Egypt in their first game the following day, while Tunisia will open their AFCON campaign against Uganda on December 23.

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Originally, FIFA rules stated that clubs must release their players and allow them to start travelling “no later than Monday morning the week preceding the week” that the tournament begins. In the case of this year’s AFCON, that date is Monday, December 8 - exactly a fortnight before Zimbabwe’s opening game and 15 days before Tunisia’s opener.

It meant had that rule been upheld, Wednesday, in the event of both Fusire and Valery being selected by their respective nations, would have been without them for three games before the tournament had even started.

However, FIFA, who has modelled their decision on those used for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has confirmed clubs will not have to release AFCON-bound players until December 15, meaning both Fusire and Valery will be available for Wednesday’s trip to Vicarage Road to face Watford next Tuesday night.

Fusire situation raises a slight question mark

Following the Owls’ trip to Hertfordshire, they will next be in action against Derby County at Hillsborough on December 15 - exactly a week before Zimbabwe’s AFCON opener against Egypt and eight days before Tunisia’s opener.

As things stand it remains to be seen if Fusire, should he make Zimbabwe’s final squad, will be available for the clash with John Eustace’s side. The rules suggest Valery will be clear to play and will link up with the Tunisia squad, on the condition he is selected, the following day.

Should Wednesday get the green light to keep both of them until the clash with Derby is concluded, it would mark a significant boost for boss Henrik Pedersen, who is already working with a skeleton squad.

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Should both Fusire and Valery be available for the clash with Derby, the first Owls fixture they will be absent for will be the trip to Ipswich Town on December 20. The pair will also be guaranteed to miss the Boxing Day clash with Hull City at Hillsborough and the tussle with Blackburn Rovers, also in S6, on December 29.

Zimbabwe’s final group game is scheduled to be played on December 29, while Tunisia are scheduled to conclude their group stage fixture list on December 30. How soon they could return to Middlewood Road, of course, will be dependent on how deep both nations go into the tournament.