CAF Kicks Out Congo From CHAN 2024

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the disqualification of Congo from the upcoming 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) due to a disciplinary ruling.

This decision comes after a complaint from the Equatorial Guinea Football Federation (FEGUIFUT), which highlighted that the Congo national team included an ineligible player in their squad during the qualifiers held last month.

The player at the center of the issue, Mankou Nguembete Japhet Elo, participated in both legs of the qualifiers for Congo. As a consequence, CAF has also imposed a fine of $10,000 on the Congolese Football Federation.

With this verdict in place, Equatorial Guinea will now compete in Group D alongside defending champions Senegal and Sudan at CHAN 2024.

This tournament, scheduled for August, is focused on showcasing players from domestic leagues across the continent. Note that the home-based Super Eagles of Nigeria have also qualified for the CHAN 2024.

Originally scheduled for 2024, the tournament has been rescheduled to August 2025, but it will still be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Below is the full CHAN 2024 group stage draw following the disqualification of Congo:

GROUP A: Kenya, Morocco, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia

GROUP B: Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic

GROUP C: Uganda, Niger Republic, Guinea, Wild Card 1, Wild Card 2

GROUP D: Senegal, Republic of Congo, Sudan, Nigeria