An argument over a shirt number could result in the field for the upcoming African Cup of Nations looking very different than it currently does.
On Thursday, November 21, the Guinea Football Federation (Feguifoot) lodged a formal complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over their men’s national team’s 1-0 loss to Tanzania two days before. That win vaulted Tanzania to second place in Group H of the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualification round — one point ahead of Guinea — and secured their spot in the tournament finals, to be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, in Morocco.
Feguifoot contends that Tanzanian substitute Ibrahim Ame was listed as number 24 on the official teamsheet for the match, but when he entered the game in the 73rd minute, Ame was wearing number 26 on his shirt. “Therefore … the player in question was not eligible to take part in the match,” Feguifoot’s press release reads (translated to English by Google). “By bringing this player into the game in the 73rd minute with this number 26, Tanzania therefore used an unqualified player.”
“The situation was all the more serious because the absence of a listed number was combined with the absence of a name on the jersey, making it de facto impossible to verify the player’s identity,” they add.
Feguifoot has asked the CAF to award the win and the three points to Guinea, which would mean they would qualify for the AFCON finals instead of Tanzania.
Tanzania scored their goal in the 61st minute of the match, before Ame came on as a substitute.
The Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) responded on their Facebook page, saying their players “were checked by the opposing team and the Commissioner where they were allowed to play” (translated to English by Google).
“(The) TFF does not have any information from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that Ame’s participation in the match was illegal.”
Feguifoot’s release also alleges that the kickoff time for the game — which was held in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania — was unfairly moved ahead three hours, forcing players to play in extreme heat with only 48 hours’ notice of the change. It also noted that the match commissioner and security officer were both from Kenya, a country that borders Tanzania. Both nations are also part of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Zonal Union.
The CAF has yet to make a ruling on the formal complaint.
