Mauritius will replace São Tome and Principe in Group A of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers following a CAF Disciplinary Ruling came in their favour, Owosports.com.ng reports.
São Tomé and Príncipe beat Mauritius 4-3 on aggregate in the preliminary qualifier in March but Mauritius filed a report to CAF to protest the victory after it was discovered that São Tome and Principe had fielded a player who had tested positive for COVID-19 a report Sao Tome and Principe had rubbished
CAF has, however, ruled that São Tomé and Príncipe forward Luis Leal, who scored the only goal in the first leg of their play-off, broke the body’s COVID-19 protocols.
CAF ruling reads, “The CAF Disciplinary Board charged Sao Tome and Principe Football Federation with breaching the CAF medical protocols and CAF Regulations after their player failed to submit to the obligatory 48-hour pre match PCR test nor could he provide the officials with a PCR test that has been done within the correct 72-hour window for their TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2023 qualifier match against Mauritius.
“The CAF Disciplinary Board found Sao Tome and Principe Football Federation guilty with fielding an ineligible player for the said match and imposed a forfeit of the match played against Mauritius.
“Furthermore, the Disciplinary Board has also imposed a fine of USD 10,000 against Sao Tome and Principe Football Federation.
Victory for Mauritius at the CAF Disciplinary Committee means they will replace São Tome and Principe in Group A which includes Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau.
