Kenya and Zimbabwe will not participate in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football has confirmed.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) says the elimination is a result of failing to have its suspension by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) lifted in time for the tournament.
“As a consequence of having failed to have their suspensions by FIFA set aside, CAF has confirmed that both Kenya and Zimbabwe will not participate in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 qualifiers,” said CAF in a press statement
According to CAF, Kenya and Zimbabwe were suspended for political interference and have not yet met the criteria required by the FIFA Congress as a prerequisite for lifting their suspension.
FIFA ratifies the suspension of Kenya from football activities
As a result of the suspension, the two associations; Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) will be considered losers and eliminated from the competition.
‘Groups C and K will be composed only of three teams and the order of the matches will be maintained by the match schedule that has been communicated to the teams after the draw” added CAF noting that the first and runner-up teams of those groups will qualify to the final tournament.
However, the two teams have been included in the draw for the African football showpiece on the condition that their suspension must be lifted two weeks before their first match.
Kenya’s suspension was ratified during Fifa’s 72nd congress held on March 31, 2022, in Doha, Qatar where 198 members voted to support the sanction of the decision by the global football governing body, while only one voted against the motion.
