The 2019 AFCON qualifying clash between Ghana and Sierra Leone has been cancelled according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Sierra Leone was last week suspended by FIFA due to government interference.
This was a huge blow to them as they have a 2019 AFCON qualifier against Ghana on Thursday, October 11, 2018, in Kumasi.
Sierra Leone authorities, who had petitioned FIFA to get the ban lifted, did not meet a Tuesday deadline to reinstate ousted football association president Isha Johansen, who is accused of corruption by government officials.
“Our appeal has been rejected,†Sierra Leone Football Association president Brima Mazzola Kamara, who replaced Johansen, told Reuters.
“It is not what we were hoping for, especially since this now means the CAF match won’t be happening. FIFA told us that Isha’s reinstatement was a prerequisite for our suspension being lifted, and when we told them she had not returned to work, they denied us.â€
Mazzola Kamara said that the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission will not budge on their decision to oust Johansen and SLFA general secretary Christopher Kamara over allegations of match-fixing involving the national team.
However, in a twitter post on October 9,
Breaking news: AFCON Qualifier matches Ghana vs Sierra Leone & Sierra Leone vs Ghana on the 11th and 14th of October respectively have been cancelled as SLFA did not meet the conditions stipulated in the letter sent by CAF on FIFA’s decision to suspend the federation.#AFCONQ2019
— CAF (@CAF_Online) October 9, 2018