15 African stars to miss Afcon qualifiers after French ruling

By The NewsDay | Mar. 18, 2021 | 2 Min read

JOHANNESBURG — After a shock decision made by France’s Ligue 1 and 2 clubs, 15 African footballers will be banned from playing in their countries’ upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month. On Wednesday night, Get French Football News reported that the LFP announced that Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs voted against […]

JOHANNESBURG — After a shock decision made by France’s Ligue 1 and 2 clubs, 15 African footballers will be banned from playing in their countries’ upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month.

On Wednesday night, Get French Football News reported that the LFP announced that Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs voted against allowing players to leave the European Union and the European Economic Area in the coming weeks.

Several players from the two divisions were set to travel to meet up with their countries in the coming international break, though, as things stand, those players will not be able to anymore.

The report stated that the decision was reached as players returning from international duty would have been forced to quarantine as per national policy on COVID-19 rules.

While a few regions have been affected, it appears that African nations have been hit hardest by the ruling.

Senegal could now be without several key players, including Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye and defender Abdou Diallo.

The French-born centreback received his first call-up to the Senegalese national team this week, just hours before the LFP confirmed the unanimous vote by Ligue 1 and 2 clubs.

Zimbabwe midfielder Marshall Munetsi, an ex-Orlando Pirates star, will also be forced to remain in France over the coming break, along with his national teammate Tino Kadewere, who represents Lyon, as well as Bafana Bafana’s Keagan Dolly.