Wayne Lumbasi
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that Kenya and Zimbabwe will not participate in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations whose qualifying campaign starts in early June.
The football associations of both countries had been suspended for “political interference” and were only included in the draw for the qualifiers on the provision they would be cleared by FIFA to compete.
CAF had included Kenya and Zimbabwe in the draw for the 2023 AFCON in April, on the provision that they successfully appealed against their FIFA suspension.
With the qualifications for the tournament set to begin next month, CAF says that Kenya and Zimbabwe “have not yet met the criteria required by the FIFA Congress as a prerequisite for lifting their suspension”.
The development leaves Kenya’s Group C with three teams – Cameroon, Namibia and Burundi. Group K, where Zimbabwe were pitted, remain with Morocco, South Africa and Liberia.
The qualification format is unchanged; the first and runner-up teams of those groups will qualify to the final tournament. It’s a big blow for the Zimbabwe Warriors who were targeting for a fourth straight appearance at the AFCON finals. The Harambee Stars on the other hand, were targeting for a return to the Continental showpiece since 2019 in Egypt after missing out on 2021 edition in Cameroon.
The 2023 AFCON will take place in Ivory Coast.
