African Cup Qualifier matches for Group F have been heavily affected after FIFA refused to lift the ban on Ghana.
The match between the Black Stars and Sierra Leon was supposed to take place today, Thrusday, but the ban means the match will not be played.
The match was scheduled to be staged in Kumasi, but the country's football association failed to get a FIFA suspension lifted in good time. Sierra Leone authorities, who had petitioned FIFA to get the ban lifted, did not meet a Tuesday deadline to reinstate ousted football association president Isha Johansen, who is accused of corruption by government officials.
"Our appeal has been rejected," Sierra Leone Football Association president Brima Mazzola Kamara, who replaced Johansen, told Reuters."It is not what we were hoping for, especially since this now means the CAF match won't be happening. FIFA told us that Isha's reinstatement was a prerequisite for our suspension being lifted, and when we told them she had not returned to work, they denied us."
The latest developments leave the group in limbo, with two of the teams; Harambee Stars and Ethiopia having played four matches each, while Ghana and Sierra Leon are on three matches.
Kenya leads the group on four points, same as Ethiopia, who have an inferior goal difference.
The two teams, Ghana and Sierra Leon were supposed to meet again next week on Monday for the return leg, but it still remains to be seen if they will meet the requirements for the ban to be lifted.