JOHANNESBURG, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Djibouti have withdrawn from the 2008 African Nations Cup qualifiers, leaving just three countries in their group, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said on Monday.
Djibouti were in Group One with World Cup finalists Ivory Coast, Gabon and Madagascar and due to open the campaign with a home match against the Ivorians on Sept. 1.
The CAF gave no reason for Djibouti’s withdrawal but small countries like the Red Sea state often withdraw from continental competition because of a lack of finance.
Djibouti’s withdrawal will be welcomed by the rest of the countries eying one of the best second-place slots for qualification.
The winners of each of the 12 groups qualify for the 2008 finals in Ghana, plus the three best second-placed finishers.
With a reduced number of matches, it is now virtually impossible for the runners-up in Group One to have any chance of filling being one of these.
The CAF several years ago introduced sanctions for clubs who withdraw from their annual club competitions but have no regulations to punish countries pulling out of the Nations Cup preliminaries.
Source: Reuters, Aug 21, 2006
