Sierra Leone disqualified from Afcon

CAF points to interference

Sierra Leone have been disqualified from the preliminaries for the 2019 African Nations Cup finals, confirming places for Kenya and Ghana at the continental championship next June-July. Sierra Leone’s fate was decided by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) yesterday after the nation was suspended by Fifa over government interference in football in October.

That meant the Leone Stars were unable to fulfil their last three qualification matches, and have now officially been withdrawn from the preliminaries by CAF and their previous two results annulled. Kenya, who will make a first Nations Cup finals appearance since 2004, head the revised three-team qualification pool with seven points, followed by Ghana who are a point behind.

With the top two sides advancing to the expanded 24team finals, Ethiopia are a distant third with a point from four games and no more fixtures to play.

Fifa’s decision to ban Sierra Leone came after it wrote to the African country’s sports minister expressing “grave concern” about the removal of Sierra Leone Football Association president Isha Johansen and the association general secretary Christopher Kamara. The Anti-Corruption Commission in the country had followed through on a threat to raid the association amid allegations of match-fixing involving the national team, and barred Johansen and Kamara from the offices. They deny any wrongdoing.