Kenya Disqualified From U-20 AFCON Qualifiers

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has disqualified Kenya from the 2017 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

It was learnt that the East African nation fielded five ineligible players against Sudan in the first leg that ended 1-1 away.

Sudan had complained that Kenya had used ineligible players in the first leg away and had lodged an appeal with Caf.

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Caf rules state only players born after 1 January 1997 are eligible to participate in the qualifiers.

A Kenya Football Federation official, who confirmed the ban to Goal said: “Caf has informed us that we will not play Sudan in the return match as we were found guilty of fielding over-age players.

“However, we continue to insist that the rules had not been spelled out on eligibility before the tournament started and so we made a mistake. The move only affects our match against Sudan and we will be free to take part in future tournaments.”

The decision can be contested with the Caf’s Appeal Board within three days of being notified. However, the CEO of Federation of Kenya Football (FKF), Robert Muthomi said the nation will not appeal the Bar.

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“The federation is cognizant that the governing body is a fair arbiter for all federations and therefore, the decision it has taken has recognized all the steps and future ramifications,” Muthomi said.

“Cut off dates for age restricted tournaments are dynamic regulations. It is important to note that non-eligibility is not the same as age cheating.”

Sudan will now qualify automatically for the second round where they are scheduled to take on Nigeria.

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