Sudan played under protest after Kenya fielded players who were born in 1996.
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| Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Issa Hayatou during a past event in Rabat, Morocco. Caf will on Tuesday rule in a case in which the Kenya Under-20 team has been accused of fielding over-aged players. |
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) will on Tuesday rule in a case in which the Kenya Under-20 team has been accused of fielding over-age players.
The Sudan Football Federation (SFA) filed a complaint against Kenya for allegedly fielding five ineligible players during last month’s Africa Under 20 Cup of Nations qualifier.
Sudan played under protest after Kenya fielded players who were born in 1996. SFA officials lodged the complaint a day after the match.
The national junior team played to a 1-1 draw away at the Al Merreikh Stadium in Khartoum. Tuesday’s ruling could have huge implications on the return match scheduled for Nyayo National Stadium on April 23.
VIOLATED CAF RULES
Speaking to Daily Nation Sports on Monday, SFA treasurer Oussama Ataelmaan lamented that Kenya violated Caf rules by fielding players born before 1997.
“According to the rules, players who were born before January 1, 1997 are ineligible to take part in this tournament, yet there were five players born before this date who were allowed to play,” he said.
However, Football Kenya Federation head of youth committee Chris Amimo said the match commissioner cleared the players.
“We had a pre-match meeting and the match commissioner didn’t have a problem with the players’ dates of birth,” said the official.
Despite the uncertainty, the junior players reported for their first training Monday. In 2003, Kenya was banned for two years after fielding overage players in the Africa Under-17 qualifiers.
