São Tomé and Príncipe have been reinstated in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying competition after successfully appealing against their disqualification over a Covid-19 protocol.
The tiny island nation located on the Equator defeated Mauritius 4-3 on aggregate in a preliminary tie three months ago only to have the 1-0 first-leg win overturned when the losers appealed.
Mauritius claimed Bolivia-based forward Luis Leal, who scored two of the four São Toméan goals in the tie, submitted an out-of-date PCR test and was not eligible to play.
Their appeal succeeded and they were due to play Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria on June 9 and 13 in Group A of a competition that will provide 23 qualifiers for the mid-2023 finals in the Ivory Coast.
Sierra Leone are the other nation in the section.
Mauritian football officials have requested a full explanation from the Confederation of African Football (Caf) and are considering appealing to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
©AFP
