Kenya/Cameroon: Kenya Drawn With Cameroon in Afcon 2023 Qualifiers Despite FIFA Suspension

Nairobi — Kenya’s Harambee Stars have been drawn in Group C of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, despite currently under suspension by world football governing body FIFA.

Kenya were included in the draw alongside Zimbabwe, but participation in the qualification will be solely dependent on whether or not the suspension by FIFA will be lifted.

Apart from Cameroon, Stars have been drawn with CECAFA neighbors Burundi and Southern Africa side Namibia.

Kenya’s suspension was ratified by the FIFA General Assembly last month, after the hammer initially fell due to government interference.

This is after Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed disbanded the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and installed a caretaker committee to run the game in the country.

FIFA however rejected the move by the CS and said the irreducible minimum for the suspension to be lifted is Amina’s move to rescind her decision. However, the CS reiterated that the decision was final and she would go on to ‘clean Kenyan football’.

FULL DRAW:

Group A – Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe/Mauritius

Group B – Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Togo, Eswatini

Group C -Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, Burundi

Group D – Egypt, Guinea, Malawi, Ethiopia

Group E – Ghana, Madagascar, Angola, Central Africa Republic

Group F -Algeria, Uganda, Niger, Tanzania

Group G -Mali, Congo, Gambia, South Sudan

Group H – Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia, Comoros, Lesotho

Group I – DR Congo, Gabon, Mauritania, Sudan

Group J – Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Botswana