Sierra Leone accept late invitation to WAFU Cup of Nations

Sierra Leone players

Wednesday Sep 25, 2019. 17:00

According to the BBC, the Sierra Leone Football Association has accepted a late invitation to participate in the 2019 WAFU Cup of Nations, which gets underway in Senegal this weekend.

Sierra Leone will replace Morocco, who have withdrawn as a guest side in the 16-team West African regional competition.

The Leone Stars were initially left out of WAFU consideration due to the ban imposed on them by world governing body FIFA, which opened the door for Morocco’s inclusion.

However, the sanction was lifted in June and Sierra Leone are now eligible to compete in the tournament. They will face Liberia on Sunday 29 September in the opening round, which splits the field into Plate and Cup competitions.

Sierra Leone’s entry in the WAFU tournament gives them the chance to gain a measure of revenge over Liberia, who eliminated them in the preliminary stage of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers 3-2 on aggregate early this month.

The tournament will now be part of Sierra Leone’s preparations for their opening matches of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin in November.