Sao Tome and Principe was excluded on Monday from the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) for breaching Covid-19 protocols during a preliminary match against Mauritius in March.
During the two-legged tie, São Tomé and Príncipe fielded a player who had not undergone a mandatory pre-match test or provided proof of a recent test, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stated. This constituted a violation of CAF's medical regulations. São Tomé and Príncipe won the tie 4-3 on aggregate.
Mauritius has secured the place of São Tomé and Príncipe in the main qualifying round for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast and will be in a group including Nigeria , Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau . These qualifiers begin at the end of the month.
Mauritius, better known as a holiday destination, has only qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations once, in 1974, when it lost all three of its matches.
The Sao Tome and Principe federation was fined $10,000 for fielding this ineligible player without naming him.
