The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has rejected an appeal by Rwanda against their disqualification from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Rwanda’s failure means Congo Brazzaville will compete in Group A of qualifying, alongside defending champions Nigeria, South Africa and Sudan. Rwanda were expelled after beating Congo in the second round, as the latter argued Daddy Birori had been ineligible to play in the tie.
[eap_ad_1] The player has both Rwanda and DR Congo passports, both of which bear different names and different dates of birth. “Any team that has committed fraud on the identity of a player … shall be eliminated from the competition,” said Caf in a statement. The decision was taken after Caf’s Appeals Board met on 27 August to address Rwanda’s appeal against their disqualification earlier this month. “It was established that the player Dady (sic) Birori, playing with the national team of Rwanda, was the same that played in the Champions League with the club AS Vita using the name Etekiama Agiti Tady,” added Caf. Libya, who Rwanda beat in the first round of qualifying, had previously lodged a claim against the striker but their protest had failed. The group phase of Nations Cup qualifying gets underway on Friday 5 September, with Congo playing in Nigeria a day later. (BBC)
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