Jan 1 (Reuters) – Swaziland have withdrawn from the 2013
African Nations Cup, just a week before the side were due to
play the first leg of a preliminary round match, the country’s
football association has confirmed.
Swaziland were scheduled to meet the Seychelles in a first
round tie on Jan. 6 and 20 but pulled out because of financial
constraints, officials said.
The late withdrawal is likely to lead to a fine from the
Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the possibility of
being banned from the 2015 tournament.
The qualifying competition for next year’s Nations Cup in
South Africa starts less than two weeks before the 2012 finals,
which are being played in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon from Jan.
21-Feb. 14.
From next year, the biennial tournament will shift from even
to odd years to avoid clashing with the World Cup.
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Knysna, South Africa; Editing
by John O’Brien; To comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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