November 20 – Gabon and Djibouti have been banned from qualifying for the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The Confederation of African Football took the decision after both nations withdrew from the 2018 qualifying campaign after it had got under way.
This year’s edition will be staged in Morocco and the announcement was made ahead of the draw for the tournament.
“Any association declaring forfeit after the start of the matches is liable to a fine of $10,000. It will also not be allowed to participate in the next edition of the CHAN,” read a statement from CAF.
Gabon was scheduled to face Equatorial Guinea in August but withdrew just a few days prior to the game. Djibouti played the first leg of their qualifier against Ethiopia in July before they too withdrew by choosing not to travel for the second leg, incurring a fine $10,000.
The competition – comprising players plying their trade in the African domestic leagues – takes place from January 13 to February 4 in Morocco but is already missing big names like DR Congo (defending champions), Ghana, Egypt, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Algeria, all of whom failed to qualify.
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