The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the suspension of Kenya and Zimbabwe from participating in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
CAF said Kenya and Zimbabwe were suspended by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) over government interference.
They were included in the official draw by CAF on the condition that the suspension must be lifted two weeks before their first games in the qualifiers.
The two countries have failed to meet the criteria required by FIFA as a prerequisite for lifting their suspension.
“The two associations: Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA), will be considered losers and eliminated from the competition,” CAF said in a statement on its official website.
“Groups C and K will be composed only of three teams and the order of the matches will be maintained by the match schedule that has been communicated to the teams after the draw.
“The first and runner-up teams of those groups will qualify for the final tournament,” CAF said.
The 2023 AFCON will be staged in Cote d’Ivoire and qualifiers kick off on June 1.