Nairobi- The Appeal Board of CAF has upheld the decision of the Organising Committee for the U-17 Championship to disqualify Ghana from the final round of the qualifiers for the Niger 2015 Championship.
The decision was taken following the Appeal Board’s sitting on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, according to CAF website.
The Board confirmed that the Ghana FA had breached the provisions of article 40 of the U-17 African Championship.
The provision stipulates: “A team which fields a player who does not fulfill the required conditions to take part in a match shall lose the match and shall be eliminated from the Championship.’’
On Sept. 13, Ghana played against Cameroon in the first-leg match of the third round of the U-17 Championship qualifiers.
After the match, the match officials informed CAF that Cameroon protested against the qualification of seven (7) players from Ghana for being over-aged.
Following the MRI tests, adverse findings were noticed in the case of two players – Asiedu Benjamin Kwesi and Twum Isaac.
The Appeal Board took into consideration the reports from the medical centres, as well as the reports of the CAF Medical Committee member.
It said in addition, the results of the MRI scans of player Asiedu Benjamin Kwesi was clear and confirmed that he was eligible to take part with the team, and that there was no confusion between all the readings and the conclusions.
Nevertheless, concerning the player, Isaac Twum, the board decided that it had to take into consideration the conclusive reports sent by the CAF Medical Committee and readings confirmed by the Medical experts.
The Appeal Board fully appreciates the elements submitted for its review and in conformity with CAF Regulations and based on its firm conviction, the Board has decided to:
– Declare as admissible in law the appeal lodged by the Ghana Football Association.
-Confirm the decision taken by the Organising Committee of the U-17 African championship dated 25th Oct., 2014.
-Confirm the elimination of Ghana U-17 team from the U-17 championship and confirm the qualification of Cameroon to the final phase of the competition.
Meanwhile, this decision may be appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, within 10 days of its notification. (PANA /NAN)
