Tanzania AFCON 2025: Guinea Fans React to Disqualification Talk As CAF Responds

Tanzania AFCON 2025: Guinea Fans React to Disqualification Talk As CAF Responds

  • Guinea fans have sharply called out their federation for trying to use 'plastic claims' to qualify for AFCON 2025
  • The West Africans have lodged a complaint to CAF, requesting to replace Tanzania at next year's AFCON in Morocco
  • Guinea lost 1-0 to Tanzania on November 19 in the game that decided who between the two would qualify for AFCON

The news that Guinea could still qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 has elicited sharp reactions from the national football team's fans.

The country's federation, FGF, has submitted an appeal to the Confederation of African Football, seeking to replace Tanzania at next year's AFCON.

Tanzania vs Guinea, AFCON 2025, roles of match commissioner, Guinea Football Federation is claiming Tanzania should be prevented from qualifying for AFCON after an administrative violation which saw a Tanzanian substitute wear an incorrect shirt number
Players of Guinea's national football team pose for a photo on February 2, 2024. Photo by Sia Kambou.
Source: Getty Images

Why Guinea wants Tanzania kicked out of AFCON

Guinea wants Tanzania disqualified on the basis that they fielded an ineligible player. Ibrahim Ame, whose official number on the team sheets was 24, entered the field of play donning a number 26 shirt.

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Syli National cited a couple of clauses in CAF's legal book as they beseeched the governing body to state the laws. CAF has since confirmed the receipt of the complaint and have promised to follow up.

However, and rather interestingly, most Guinea fans aren't too thrilled that there is a slim chance they could still be on the plane to Morocco.

Guinea fans react to Tanzania's possible disqualification

A spot check by Briefly News online shows that the fans want FGF to address the issues that made the team fail to qualify rather than looking for other avenues to go through. The fans lamented the poor state of the country's infrastructure, which hasn't done the team any favours.

@Thiam Sekou Tidi said:

"Build us stadiums that meet international standards, training centres to produce competitive players. You shame us."

Aboubacar Mohamed called the situation 'shameful,'

"It is shameful. We had to win all our matches instead of counting on a probable elimination of Tanzania to our advantage. A football nation like ours, in the 21st century, does not have a football centre to produce players only on street football; does not have a stadium."

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While another user said,

"I love you my Guinean brothers, but on the field, you lost."

Mr. Guirassy said,

"Instead of moving on and making yourself small, you want to smoke people with a plastic claim that will never pass... to the point of making conspiracy theories! Catastrophic from start to finish."

When will CAF make their verdict on the Tanzania - Guinea case?

The Patrice Motsepe-led body has no specific time frame for making a decision. At the moment, it is a wait-and-see situation.

Countries Were Banned From AFCON

Briefly News has reported that South Africa's apartheid policies saw them expelled from CAF in 1957 but returned to international football in 1991.

South Africa was in the football wilderness for decades because of apartheid policies. FIFA suspended them in 1964 and expelled them 10 years later. Their football governing body was readmitted in 1992, and their first match was against giants Cameroon. CAF expelled South Africa in 1960 and was the first to invite them back in early 1992 after Nelson Mandela was freed. They won the 1996 AFCON and qualified for the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup in 2010.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Authors:
Viginia Akinyi avatar

Viginia Akinyi (sports editor) Viginia Akinyi is the current import editor at Briefly News. She holds a B.Sc. in Communication and Public Relations from Moi University and has previously worked with Lolwe TV, Daily Nation Eldoret Bureau and SportsBrief.com. Email: viginia.akinyi@briefly.co.za

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