The opening match of the UNIFFAC U17 tournament has been cancelled

It was scheduled to pit DR Congo against Equatorial Guinea on 18 February.

Originally scheduled for Wednesday, the match has been temporarily cancelled. This decision follows MRI scans, after which six Equatorial Guinean players were declared ineligible in accordance with Article 27.4 of the competition rules. The cancellation of the match was announced by UNIFFAC in a press release.

"As part of the eligibility checks for the U17 category, MRI scans were carried out on players from teams participating in the U17 AFCON qualifying zone competition, in accordance with the regulations in force.

Following these examinations, it appears that the participating Equatorial Guinea team has six (6) players who have been declared ineligible, whereas Article 27.4 of the competition regulations sets the maximum limit at three (3) players.

Consequently, and in strict compliance with the regulations, UNIFFAC informs all stakeholders that the opening match between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Equatorial Guinea has been provisionally cancelled.

This precautionary measure has been taken pending the final decision of CAF, which has sole jurisdiction to rule on this matter."