Zimbabwe may not even get to play a game at the Africa Cup of Nations
Zimbabwe have officially named a 23-man squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) despite facing the threat of a ban from FIFA.
The world’s footballing governing body issued a warning to the nation stating that they may ‘have to impose a ban’ should the Zimbabwe Football Association failed to regain control by 3 January.
As reported by the BBC, Zimbabwean FA was suspended by the nation’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) as they do not approve of governmental interference in the running of member associations, previously banning countries from all forms of football in the past as a punishment.
The chairman of the SRC, Gerald Mlotshwa, has previously gone on record saying that he would be willing to risk a ban if it meant the nation could erase their problems.
He said: “If we are suspended from Afcon, we are prepared for that – that is fine.
“Zimbabwean football needs this opportunity just to fix itself.”
It is unknown whether it was the country’s FA that submitted the 23-man squad list, which could have featured up to 28 players to help deal with any potential Covid-19 problems during the tournament, however due to injury issues they were left with five vacant places.
The tournament is due to start on 9 January and finish on 6 February in Cameroon, with players expected to link up with their respective national sides after this weekend’s round of fixtures.
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