Zimbabwe and Kenya officially disqualified from Afcon qualifiers

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that Zimbabwe and Kenya are disqualified from the 2023 Afcon campaign.

Kenya and Zimbabwe have both been suspended by FIFA owing to government interference in the operations of the national football federations.

Both countries’ associations were dissolved by their respective governments last year, but they were only suspended from all international football activity after a decision by FIFA’s Council in February this year.

They were both included in the 2023 Afcon qualifying draw on condition that the bans will be lifted two weeks before June’s first matchday.

The Warriors were drawn in Group K alongside Morocco, South Africa and Liberia. The Harambee Stars were in Group C together with Cameroon, Namibia and Burundi.

This means the two respective groups will be with three teams each, and two top teams will secure their place in Ivory Coast next year.

“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 statement on Monday evening.

“CAF had included them in the official draw earlier in April 2022 on condition that the suspension must be lifted two weeks before their first matchday.

“Kenya and Zimbabwe, suspended for political interference, have not yet met the criteria required by the FIFA Congress as a prerequisite for lifting their suspension. As a result:

Because of the suspension, the following will apply:

• 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 in accordance with the match schedule that has been communicated to the teams after the draw.
• The first and runner-up teams of those groups will qualify for the final tournament,” they said.

The qualifiers will kick off on the first day of June.