CAF Disqualifies Chad from Africa Cup of Nations qualifying

Chad was to host Namibia on Wednesday and play against Mali on Sunday.

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

The Confederation of African Football, CAF has disqualified Chad from the rest of the AFCON 2021 qualifiers, accusing the government of interfering in the affairs of the football federation.

The Chadian Ministry of Youth and Sports stripped the country's football Federation of its powers on March 10 following concerns over the way it was being run and a communication breakdown, and will likely now also face a ban from FIFA, CAN report.

Following the suspension of the Chadian Football Federation by the Chadian Ministry of Youth and Sports, CAF has decided to disqualify the national team of Chad from the qualifiers of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations," CAF said in a statement.

“In line with Article 61 read together with Article 64 of the CAF Regulations, Chad is considered a loser of both matches against Namibia and Mali.”

The Confederation of African Football said it ordered Chad to forfeit two games scheduled for this week as 3-0 losses. Chad was to host Namibia on Wednesday and play at Mali on Sunday.

Chad was, however, out of contention to qualify for the final tournament in Cameroon next January and February. The country had collected just one point in their four qualification matches.

This is the first major decision taken by the new CAF leadership since taking office on March 12. Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed becoming the seventh President of the African Football body.

Mali who has qualified for the AFCON now has 13 points in Group A. Guinea is placed second with 8 points from four matches. Guinea will host Mali this Wednesday and will qualify with a win but any other results will see them travelling to Namibia knowing it is a must-win encounter for them to book a ticket for the Cameroon expedition.