By Izidoro Twinamasiko
SPORTS
Tanzania’s celebration of qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco may be under scrutiny following a controversial administrative error during their decisive match against Guinea where Tanzania emerged victorious with a 1-0, courtesy of Simon Msuva’s second-half strike, which secured their spot in AFCON 2025 by finishing second in the group.
The Guinean Football Federation have lodged a formal complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) alleging that Tanzania used an ineligible player during their recent 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
Guinea claim that Tanzania used a player wearing jersey number 26 whose name was also allegedly not clear who entered the pitch in the 76th minute, despite the number not being listed in the official CAF squad submission.
Guinea cited Article 50 of CAF regulations, which mandates strict compliance with player registration, including matching jersey numbers and proper identification.
CAF regulations emphasize the critical role of jersey numbers for player identification, eligibility verification, and prevention of fraud. Article 42.12 states that using an ineligible or incorrectly registered player results in forfeiture of the match with a 3-0 scoreline, regardless of protests. Furthermore, Article 47 stipulates that administrative errors in player registration can lead to elimination from the ongoing tournament and suspension from the next edition.
Guinea also pointed out alleged irregularities, including the rescheduling of the match to an afternoon kickoff, which they argue disadvantaged foreign-based players, and the appointment of Kenyan officials who come from the same region, CECAFA as Tanzania to oversee the game. While these claims may not carry much weight, the primary concern remains Tanzania’s violation of CAF’s equipment regulations.
As Guinea and Tanzania patiently wait for the decision from CAF, it remains to be seen whether Tanzania will be iron handled by the laws of the gorvening body or the efforts by Guinea to be quashed and miss out on this edition of the most important continental tournament the African cup of Nations.
