Guinea U-17 football team has been disqualified from taking part in the 2019 U-17 World Cup after it was found out that two of their players were more than the 17-years old they claimed.
Guinea, who lost to Cameroon in the final, thought they had secured their World Cup spot by reaching the semi-finals.
“The players Aboubacar Conte and Ahmed Tidiane Keita were not eligible to participate with Guinea in the Final Tournament of the U-17 Afcon played in Tanzania,” Caf said in a statement.
“Due to the existence of two different passports for each of the players concerned, one passport was used for the International Under-16 Cup held in Japan, the year of birth date being 2001, and the other for the final U-17 Afcon tournament in Tanzania, which indicated the year of birth as 2002, which clearly shows that there was forgery.”
“Because of their participation, the team is excluded from the competition and all its results and achievements during the competition must be cancelled.”
“The Guinean Football Federation, following its disqualification, is prevented from representing Caf at the Fifa U-17 World Cup to be held in 2019.”
They will be replaced by Senegal for the U17 World Cup in Brazil this year and have been slapped with a U-17 Nations Cup ban in the next two editions.
“The Organizing Committee will be invited to reinstate Senegal and the Executive Committee to approve the participation of Senegal as Caf’s 4th representative at the Fifa U-17 World Cup to be held in 2019,” Caf stated following a meeting of its disciplinary committee.
The runners-up silver medals which Guinea received in Tanzania must be returned within 21 days and if they fail to do so a penalty of $US 20,000 will be imposed.
Caf had also stopped six players – including one Guinean – from taking part at the Nations Cup in Tanzania following MRI tests before the tournament.
Senegal now joins Cameroon, Nigeria and Angola as Africa’s representatives at this year’s U-17 World Cup in Brazil.
Morocco also reported champions Cameroon for allegedly fielding over-age players at the tournament in Tanzania, but the final decision is yet to be confirmed by Caf.
