CAF kicks Harambee Stars out of Afcon qualifiers

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has kicked Kenya out of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers that begin early June.

Kenya was set to kick off her qualifying campaign away to Cameroon on June 4 but CAF’s decision means the group will have now three teams.

“Kenya have been expelled from the qualifiers because the suspension slapped on the country by Fifa three months ago still remains in place. They have not met any of the conditions from Fifa and CAF,” a source within the African governing body’s circles told Nation Sport on Thursday.

Kenya had been given until two weeks to their first qualifying match against Cameroon to meet Fifa’s conditions for the suspension to be lifted.

Fifa had asked the Amina Mohamed-led Ministry of Sports to open Kandanda House and return officials of the disbanded Football Kenya Federation to work.

The Sports CS has remaiend adamant that Kenya will “clean house first” before going back to Fifa for talks and re-admission.

Amina had on November 11 last year disbanded FKF and installed a Caretaker Committee for six months to take over the running of the federation’s affairs.

Starlets were to face Uganda for the ticket to Morocco for Awcon but CAF handed the Crested Cranes the ticket to the competition.

Cecafa has also locked out Starlets from the regional tournament, which Kenya is the defending champion. The tourney kicks off in June in Uganda. The national women’s Under 17 team has also suffered a similar fate, their Fifa World Cup qualifying match against South Africa also aborting.

It remains to be seen if the winners of the top flight leagues, now under the FKF Transition Committee, will play in the Caf Inter-Club competitions next season.

Vihiga Queens have already won the Women’s Premier League unbeaten while Kakamega Homeboyz and Tusker FC are neck-and-neck in the race for the men’s title.