Kenya seeks inclusion in 2023 Afcon qualifiers

Kenya has appealed on Monday to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to be included in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Kenya was excluded from the tournament after FIFA suspended the Kenya Football Federation (FKF) in February last year, accusing the government of interfering in the sport when it disbanded the national governing body.

But FIFA agreed to lift the suspension in November following the Kenyan government’s decision to reinstate FKF, which had been dissolved over suspicions of corruption.

The country had been included in the 2023 Afcon qualifiers draw but later removed due to the ban.

In the draw, Harambee Stars had been placed in Group C alongside Cameroon, Namibia and Burundi and were scheduled to play Burundi on May 21 last year, before facing Cameroon and Namibia on June 4 and 8.

Kenyan Sports Minister Ababu Namwamba told a visiting FIFA and CAF delegation that the government was not interested in being involved in direct management of football but only ensuring the sport was run properly.

“Now that Fifa and Caf are here we request that we be given a second chance so that our national team can compete in the 2023 qualifiers. Even our women’s football team could have qualified for the World Cup if we were not locked out because of the suspension,” said Namwamba.

“I do believe Fifa and Caf will consider peculiar circumstances under which the team missed the qualifiers and I request they be considerate and don’t punish our national team. This is one of the request I think FKF should present to Fifa and Caf,” added Namwamba.

CAF legal counsel Nadim Magdy, who was part of the delegation, said the continent’s football governing body would meet “soon” to discuss Kenya’s request.

The 2023 AFCON will be played between January and February 2024 in Ivory Coast.