CHAN 2024: CAF requalifies Congo for finals after successful appeal

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Committee decided, at its meeting on Tuesday, June 17, in Cairo, Egypt, to accept the appeal of the Republic of Congo's Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT) against the Disciplinary Committee's decision of May 27, 2025, concerning Matches 1 and 2 of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers between Congo and Equatorial Guinea.

Last January, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Committee disqualified Congo from the 2024 CHAN finals, which will take place in August this year. This followed Equatorial Guinea's appeal regarding Congo's registration of 22-year-old center forward Japhet Mankou, who was deemed ineligible, and the Red Devils' A' team's failure to present valid national licenses for its players.

Equatorial Guinea's referral was accepted by the disciplinary committee at the time, resulting in Congo Brazzaville's disqualification and Equatorial Guinea's qualification out of Central Africa''s UNIFFAC region. However, the CAF Appeals Committee reconsidered its decision and confirmed Congo's right to participate in CHAN 2024.

The Appeals Committee confirmed that the results of the two matches, the first to be played on December 21, 2024, in Equatorial Guinea and the second on December 29, 2024, in Congo, remain the same, meaning that Congo's qualification for the final tournament is confirmed. Congo won the two-legged duel by a 2-1 aggregate score.

With this decision, Congo Brazzaville joins Group D of the tournament, which includes Senegal, Sudan, and Nigeria.

EDITOR NOTE: This article is a translation of the original written in French by Ablam Gnamesso for Pan-Africa Football.