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Kenya has been disqualified from the 2017 edition of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations for fielding five ineligible players against Sudan.
The country fielded the players during their First Round first leg clash against Sudan on April 3 at the El Merreikh Stadium in Khartoum, which ended 1-1.
The five players include Erick Otieno, born on September 27, 1996, Nicholas Kipkirui, born on May 31, 1996, and Boniface Muchiri, born on August 23, 1996. The rest are Eugene Mukangula, born on June 22, 1996 and Theodore Kilele, born on September 25, 1996.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), in a statement on its website, said this was contrary to a circular sent to all National Associations. It had said only players born on Jan. 1, 1997 or after are eligible to participate in the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for Zambia in 2017.
The statement reads:
“The Organising Committee, after its findings, concluded that the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) clearly violated article 40.11 of the competition’s regulations.
“The regulation states that a team which allows a non-qualified or a suspended player to take part in a direct knockout match shall lose the match and shall be eliminated from the competition, even in the absence of protests.’’
CAF General Secretary Hicham El Amrani said the Kenyan under-20 national team has consequently been disqualified from the preliminaries.