South Sudan have been disqualified from taking part in the 2023 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Algeria.
This disqualification comes after five players in the Bright Star Juniors squad failed Magnetic Resonance Imaging tests.
The Confederation of African Football had recently amended regulations regarding MRI.
The part that indicates that the entire team will be disqualified if one player fails the MRI test has been amended and the law now states that the team will be disqualified if four or more players fail the test.
The South Sudan Football Association has reacted to the development in a statement.
The statement, titled: “South Sudan U17 National team Disqualified from AFCON U17 Algeria 2023 Due to Non-Eligibility of Five (5) Players After MRI Test,” said: “The South Sudan Football Association regrets to announce that our team has been disqualified from the AFCON U17 Algeria 2023 due to the non-eligibility of five (5) players after the MRI test.”
The Bright Star Juniors were in Group C along with Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Mali, but it will now feature only three teams.
The top four teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup as the African representatives.