CAN 2021: Zimbabwe deprived of the Africa Cup in Cameroon?

Knowledge Musona (in yellow) the captain of the Warriors.

(Drawing).

AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The Zimbabwean government has taken the decision to suspend its Football Federation for "fraud and sexual harassment of female referees".

A decision which could in turn lead to the suspension of the Warriors by Fifa and deprive them of the next CAN in January in Cameroon.

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A sword of Damocles hangs over the head of the Zimbabwe national football team which risks missing the CAN 2021. Qualified on the field thanks to their second place acquired behind Algeria in Pool H of playoffs, the Warriors could be deprived of the Africa Cup due to a political decision.

The SRC, the equivalent of the Ministry of Sports, has in fact suspended the board of directors of the Federation citing "

fraud 

" and " 

sexual harassment

" of "

female referees

" by the technical staff of the ZIFA.

A chance for Zambia?

Tuesday, November 16, the president of the SRC, Gerald Mlotshwa, was in front of the press to announce this decision and especially to assume the consequence of which the most feared remains the reaction of Fifa which does not tolerate the intrusion of politicians and / or of politics, in the affairs of national federations. FIFA establishes in its statutes the separation of football and the state and prohibits any interference by state authorities in the management of sports associations.

The Zimbabwean Federation could very quickly be suspended by the world body, thus leading to its exclusion from CAN 2021. The situation does not seem to alarm the leaders of the SRC.

"

We will always consider it a short-term measure (...) If it takes us a year, two years and we are excluded from international football, I think that is very good and that everyone accepts it,

”said the president of the CBC, Gerald Mlotshwa, a bit fatalist.

If Zimbabwe is excluded, Zambia, which finished 3rd in Pool H of the qualifiers, could inherit the qualifying place for the CAN and join Senegal, Guinea and Malawi in Pool D of Baffoussam.

CAN 2021: calendar and results of the Africa Cup

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