Nigeria’s men’s football team will be absent at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) threw away the country’s protest against Guinea.
Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles were eliminated in the last hurdle to eight-team CAF U23 Nations Cup which is the platform that will produce Africa’s three qualifiers.
Guinea held Nigeria to a goalless draw in the first leg match in Abuja last March and won 2-0 in the return leg played away from home in Morocco.
The NFF protested against Guinea claiming that one of the players – Alsény Soumah a player of Horoya AC – was overage.
CAF has now thrown out the protest by Nigeria as Guinea was able to establish that Nigeria’s claim was based on mistaken identity as there were two different players with the name Alsény Soumah.
Guinea will therefore still play in the CAF U23 cup and will feature against Morocco in the opening match.
Cameroon, another country that protested its elimination was successful in the appeal against Gabon.
Cameroon will therefore replace Gabon in the Group B of the competition. The Gabonese got further sanction as they are barred from the next edition in 2028