Djibouti and Sudan have been kicked out of the upcoming 2023 Under 17 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers as a result of age cheating.
According to a statement released by CECAFA, the decision was taken against the two teams after some of their stars failed to meet the eligibility criteria.
“The national U-17 teams of Sudan and Djibouti have been disqualified ahead of the start of the U-17 Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers for the CECAFA Zone in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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“Sudan and Djibouti have been disqualified after some of their players failed the mandatory Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests,” read a statement from CECAFA.
Following the development, CECAFA Executive Director divulged that another draw will be conducted later this month.
“Auka Gecheo, the CECAFA Executive Director says six teams will now participate in the qualifiers kicking off on October 3rd, 2022.
“Another draw will now be conducted on October 2nd, 2022 to have three teams in each group,” ended the press release.
Eritrea and Rwanda had earlier pulled out of the competition. Kenya also failed to grace the qualifiers due to an existing ban that was imposed by FIFA due government involvement in football affairs.
The teams that are set to take part in the tournament include defending champions Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Burundi, Somalia and hosts Ethiopia.
Only two teams from each pool will proceed to the semifinals with the tournament’s winners and runners booking a slot to represent East Africa in next year’s continental showpiece.
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