Ethiopia withdraw from AFCON U-17 qualifiers

Ethiopia Football Federation (EFF) has withdrawn their team from the forthcoming TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) – CECAFA qualifiers.

The tournament slated for December 14-27^th in Uganda was set to attract eight teams after the draw had been conducted last week in Kampala.

However, EFF communicated on Monday night that their teams will unfortunately miss out. “On behalf of the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF), I regret to inform you that our U-17 Boys National Team will not be participating in the upcoming AFCON U-17 CECAFA Zone qualification tournament,” Bahiru Tilahun, the EFF Chief Executive Officer stated in his communication.

He explained that the decision was reached as result of unforeseen budgetary constraints. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause and extend our gratitude to CECAFA for your understanding and continued support of Ethiopian football,” added Tilahun.

The withdrawal of Ethiopia now leaves Group A with three teams; Uganda Tanzania and Burundi. The 2022 champions Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Kenya are placed in Group B. The best two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-final stage, while the finalists automatically qualify for the continental showpiece.